Man arrested after Churchill statue defaced in Parliament Square
A 38-year-old man was arrested in the early hours of Friday after graffiti was sprayed on the statue of Sir Winston Churchill in Parliament Square, prompting swift political condemnation and a police cordon around the monument.
The Metropolitan Police said officers were called shortly after 4am on 27 February when a man was seen spraying paint on the bronze statue. He was arrested on suspicion of racially aggravated criminal damage within minutes of officers arriving at the scene.
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Read the full reportThe statue was defaced with red graffiti describing the former prime minister as a “Zionist war criminal”. Other slogans including “Stop the Genocide” and “Free Palestine” were painted on the plinth. Further markings read “Never again is Now” and “Globalise the Intifada”.
A Met spokesperson said:
“Shortly after 0400hrs on Friday 27 February a man was seen spraying graffiti on the statue of Winston Churchill in Parliament Square.
“The first officers were on the scene within two minutes. The man, who is 38, was arrested on suspicion of racially aggravated criminal damage.”
The monument was cordoned off on Friday morning as cleaning work began.
Dutch campaign group Free the Filton 24 claimed responsibility for the action, posting a video on Instagram that appeared to show a man defacing the statue. The group describes itself as “family and friends” of 24 Palestine Action activists charged in connection with a break-in at an Elbit Systems UK site in 2024.
A spokesperson for 10 Downing Street said:
“This attack is completely abhorrent. Churchill was a great Briton. This government will always stand up for our values and the perpetrator must be held to account.”
The Home Office also condemned the vandalism. A spokesperson said:
“Sir Winston Churchill is a figure of great national pride. The vile vandals defacing this statue are a disgrace.”
In December, the Metropolitan Police and Greater Manchester Police announced that individuals chanting “globalise the intifada” could face arrest. The guidance followed the Bondi Beach terror attack and an attack at Heaton Park synagogue in Manchester last October.
Churchill’s statue has previously been targeted during protests. In June 2020 it was marked with graffiti during Black Lives Matter demonstrations. Later that year an Extinction Rebellion activist was ordered to pay more than £1,500 after painting the word “racist” on the plinth.
The 12ft monument, designed by Ivor Roberts-Jones, was unveiled in 1973 by Lady Churchill. It stands among a group of statues in Parliament Square honouring prominent political figures including Abraham Lincoln and Nelson Mandela.
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[Image Credit | BBC]
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