A new Banksy artwork depicting a judge beating a protester will be removed from the Royal Courts of Justice. HM Courts and Tribunals confirmed the decision following the appearance of the controversial piece on Monday.
The artwork shows a protester lying on the ground holding a blood-spattered placard while a judge in wig and gown looms over him wielding a gavel. The piece appeared on an external wall of the Queen's Building, part of the Royal Courts of Justice complex.
The removal follows rules governing listed buildings, with an HM Courts and Tribunals spokesperson explaining: "The Royal Courts of Justice is a listed building and HMCTS are obliged to maintain its original character." The National Heritage List for England protects the country's most significant historic buildings by law.
Artwork confirmed and secured
Banksy confirmed responsibility for the work through an Instagram post captioned "Royal Courts Of Justice. London." The graffiti has been concealed by large black plastic sheets and metal barriers, with security officials now guarding the site.
The timing follows the arrest of almost 900 demonstrators protesting against the banning of Palestine Action as a terror group in central London on Saturday. Several others have been charged with allegedly expressing support for the group, which was proscribed under anti-terror laws by then-home secretary Yvette Cooper (Labour) earlier this year.
Political reactions emerge
A spokesperson for campaign group Defend Our Juries, which organised Saturday's rally, said the artwork "powerfully depicts the brutality unleashed by Yvette Cooper on protesters by proscribing Palestine Action." They added: "When the law is used as a tool to crush civil liberties, it does not extinguish dissent, it strengthens it."
The work comes weeks after the Lady Chief Justice repeated concerns for judge safety, noting they had faced "increasing and increasingly unacceptable sensationalist and inaccurate abuse." Labour peer Baroness Harriet Harman described the piece as "a protest about the law."
Harman told PA Media: "Parliament makes the law, and the judges simply interpret the law. I don't think there's any evidence in terms of the right to protest that the judges have been clamping down on protests beyond what Parliament intended."
Recent Banksy works
Last summer, Banksy created headlines with an animal-themed collection across London, concluding with a gorilla appearing to lift a shutter at London Zoo. Other notable pieces included piranhas on a police sentry box in the City of London and a howling wolf on a satellite dish in Peckham, which was removed within an hour of being unveiled.
Sources used: "PA Media" Note: This article has been edited with the help of Artificial Intelligence.
