If you have been to London, you probably have seen the statue of Winston Churchill that stands in Parliament Square. It is one of the world’s most famous sculptures. At around 4:00 this morning, it was vandalized, apparently by a Muslim group:
The bronze statue was defaced with red graffiti branding the former prime minister a “Zionist war criminal”. Other phrases including “Stop the Genocide” and “Free Palestine” were sprayed on the sculpture in Westminster, central London.
In the early hours of Friday, graffiti reading: “Never again is Now” and “Globalise the Intifada” appeared.
A Met Police spokesperson said: “The first officers were on the scene within two minutes. The man – who is 38 – was arrested on suspicion of racially aggravated criminal damage.”
A group that I take to be Islamic has claimed responsibility:
Dutch group Free the Filton 24 claimed responsibility for the action on Friday morning, posting a video on its Instagram account appearing to show a man defacing the statue.
The group defines itself as “family and friends” of the Palestine Action activists who were charged over a break-in at one of Israel-based defence firm Elbit’s UK sites in 2024.
As of this writing, authorities have not identified the individual who has been arrested.
The slogan “Never again is now” is a call to complete the Hitlerian project of exterminating all Jews. Likewise with “Globalize the intifada,” a slogan that has been banned in the U.K.
