A worker pressure washes graffiti off of a statue of Britains former Prime Minister Winston Churchill in Parliament Square, in central London on February 27, 2026. A 38-year-old man has been arrested on suspicion of racially aggravated criminal damage after graffiti was sprayed on the statue of Winston Churchill, UK police said February 27. The iconic statue of the wartime British Prime Minister in parliament square in central London "was graffitied with red paint" overnight, the Metropolitan Police said on X. (Photo by Brook Mitchell / AFP)
A 38-year-old man has been arrested on suspicion of racially aggravated criminal damage, UK police said Friday, after he allegedly sprayed pro-Palestinian graffiti on the Winston Churchill statue in central London.
The iconic monument to the wartime British prime minister in Parliament Square “was graffitied with red paint” overnight, the Metropolitan Police said on X.
“Officers were on scene within two minutes of being alerted shortly after 4am (0400 GMT),” the force added.
The graffiti, which workers set about cleaning off early Friday, included calling the former leader a “zionist war criminal”.
The words “free Palestine” and “stop the genocide” were also sprayed on it.
Political leaders condemn damage to historic monument
The Greater London Authority condemned the “vandalism” of the statue, adding that work was underway to remove the graffiti “as quickly as possible”.
Prime Minister Keir Starmer’s Downing Street office called the damage “completely abhorrent” and said it was “glad” police had made an arrest.
“Churchill was a great Briton,” a Downing Street spokesman said.
“This government will always stand up for our values and the perpetrator must be held to account.”
ALSO READ: EFF reopen statues debate, opponents suggest focusing on the future
Activist claims responsibility
A Dutch activist called Olax Outis claimed responsibility for the stunt in a message shared Friday on social media by campaign group Prisoners for Palestine.
“If you see this message that peaceful protest has begun and it’s a reasonable assumption that I’m currently in a jail, somewhere in London,” the pre-recorded message said.
Other phrases painted onto the statue included “globalise the intifada”.
In December police said people chanting this phrase would be arrested as part of efforts to counter alleged antisemitism and incitement to violence through slogans.
The police stance followed a deadly October attack on a synagogue the English city of Manchester, and a December shooting attack at a Jewish festival at Australia’s Bondi Beach in Sydney in which 15 people were killed.
The intifada refers to Palestinian uprisings against Israeli occupation. The first raged from 1987 to 1993, while the second flared between 2000 and 2005.
The 3.6 metre (12-foot) Churchill statue has been vandalised a number of times in recent years, including during Black Lives Matter and Extinction Rebellion climate demonstrations in 2020.
NOW READ: Anger as Desmond Tutu mural in Cape Town defaced with k-word
About the Author
