Overview

• The stencil, showing a wigged judge beating a protester, appeared on Sept. 8 after Banksy authenticated it on Instagram.
• HM Courts and Tribunals Service ordered its removal from the Grade I listed Royal Courts of Justice to preserve the building’s original character.
• Video and photos on Sept. 10 showed a worker scrubbing the image behind barriers, and the Ministry of Justice said the work was destroyed.
• The Metropolitan Police said they received a Sept. 8 report of criminal damage linked to the mural and that inquiries are ongoing.
• Activists and art figures tied the image to the proscription of Palestine Action and condemned the destruction, with dealer John Brandler saying it could have raised millions for charity.