A man has been arrested on suspicion of racially aggravated criminal damage after the Winston Churchill statue in Parliament Square was graffitied with anti-Zionist slogans and Hamas triangles.
CCTV footage appeared to show a bearded man in red overalls vandalising the statue, painting the words “Zionist war criminal” on its plinth.
The phrases “globalise the intifada” and “I support Palestine Action”, the use of both of which has seen protesters arrested in recent month, were also painted on the statue, as was an inverted red triangle.
The latter symbol is commonly used by Hamas to mark IDF targets in Gaza and has been more widely employed in support of the proscribed terror group.
The red triangle is reported to be derived from the Palestinian flag from a similar symbol in the Palestinian flag.
Free the Filton 24, a group made up of “family and friends” of the 24 Palestine Action activists detained in relation to the now-proscribed group’s direct action protests, has claimed responsibility on Instagram.
In a separate statement on the Instagram account, a man purporting to be a member of Free the Filton 24 said he defaced the statue “to draw attention to the horrible human rights violations happening in a country that’s run by colonisers who refuse to listen to their people”.
He added: “The current British Government should be dragged before the International Court of Justice in The Hague, and as a representative of The Hague, I’m here to hold them accountable.
“Churchill is but a symbol of the same political corruption.”
As colonial secretary in 1921, Churchill supported the Balfour Declaration, which ultimately led to the creation of Israel in 1948 and consistently advocated for the Jewish state
James Cartlidge, the shadow defence secretary, called the vandalism “absolutely disgraceful”.
He wrote on X: “Churchill is the greatest champion of freedom in our history. A truly great man who stood up to, and defeated, the most evil war criminal of them all.”
The Community Security Trust (CST) said: “Daubing 'globalise the intifada', 'free Palestine' and 'Zionist war criminal' on the statue of Winston Churchill, one of Britain's greatest heroes, is a disgrace, and it is welcome that someone has been arrested.
“It is a reminder that the hatreds directed at Israel and Jews never stop there: this extremism threatens Britain as a whole.”
The Jewish Leadership Council (JLC) also commented on the vandalism, saying: “We are disgusted by the defacing of the Churchill statue in Parliament Square.
“In targeting the statue of a British hero who led this country in the fight against the Nazis, the perpetrator has found a perverse way to combine a hatred of Jews with a disdain for Britain.”
And Campaign Against Antisemitism (CAA) said: “The Sir Winston Churchill statue in Parliament Square has... been defaced... with the words ‘Zionist war criminal’ and a red triangle.
“This vandalism underscores how vile and unpatriotic these extremists are.”
A Metropolitan Police spokesman told the JC: “Shortly after 04.00hrs on Friday Feb 27, 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. He remains in custody.”
And a Greater London Authority spokesman told the Telegraph: “We are appalled by this vandalism to the statue of Sir Winston Churchill and work is underway to remove the graffiti as quickly as possible.”
To get more news, click here to sign up for our free daily newsletter.