Man arrested after Churchill statue in London defaced with ‘Zionist war criminal’ graffiti | EUROtoday

A person has been arrested after a statue of Sir Winston Churchill within the centre of London was vandalised with pro-Palestine graffiti.

“Free Palestine”, “Zionist war criminal” and “Globalise the intifada” have been sprayed in crimson paint on the bronze sculpture in Parliament Square, Westminster.

The phrases: “Never again is now” and “Stop the genocide” have been additionally painted on the monument.

The Met Police stated a 38-year-old man seen spraying graffiti on the statue shortly after 4am on Friday is in custody after being arrested on suspicion of racially aggravated legal harm.

The statue has been cordoned off and was being cleaned on Friday morning.

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Downing Street condemned the “completely abhorrent” incident, with the prime minister’s spokesperson calling it a “disgrace”.

“Churchill was a great Briton, and this government will always stand up for our values. The perpetrator must be held to account,” they stated.

The sculpture has been a goal for protesters previously and was additionally vandalised through the Black Lives Matter protests in 2020 and climbed on by trans activists throughout demonstrations final yr.

Last summer season, it grew to become against the law to climb on Churchill’s statue, as the federal government introduced offenders might resist three months in jail and fined £1,000 for desecrating the monument to the previous prime minister.

The statue was added to a listing of protected monuments, together with the Cenotaph in Whitehall and the Royal Artillery Memorial.

Last December, each the Metropolitan Police and Greater Manchester Police introduced anybody chanting the controversial slogan “globalise the intifada” would face arrest.

The choice by the 2 police forces was made within the wake of the Bondi Beach terror assault, and the fear assault at Heaton Park synagogue in Manchester on 2 October.

Speaking on right this moment’s arrest, a Met Police spokesperson stated: “Shortly after 04:00hrs on Friday 27 February, a man was seen spraying graffiti on the statue of Winston Churchill in Parliament Square.

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“The first officers were on the scene within two minutes. The man – who is 38 – was arrested on suspicion of racially aggravated criminal damage.

“He remains in custody.”

The 12ft statue of the Second World War chief was unveiled in Westminster Square in 1973 by his widow, Clementine, eight years after her husband had died. Both Queen Elizabeth II and the Queen Mother attended the ceremony.

It’s understood that Churchill personally selected the spot the place he needed the statue when the redevelopment for Parliament Square was being authorized within the Fifties.