Overview
- Banksy posted images on Instagram labeled “Royal Courts of Justice,” which outlets treated as confirmation that he created the artwork showing a judge poised to strike a prone demonstrator.
- His Majesty’s Courts and Tribunals Service said the façade is a listed structure and cited a duty to preserve the building’s original character, leading to the piece being shrouded with plastic sheeting and metal barriers under guard.
- Metropolitan Police confirmed a criminal-damage report was filed and said investigations are ongoing into the graffiti on the court complex.
- Local reporting on Wednesday indicated removal work had begun, with crews seen scrubbing the surface, following earlier statements that the piece would be taken down under heritage rules.
- The mural arrives after about 890 arrests linked to solidarity protests for the now-proscribed Palestine Action; organizers and rights groups denounced heavy-handed enforcement, while police said they acted when people announced plans to commit offences.