Arrest made after Churchill statue defaced with ‘Zionist war criminal’ graffiti

A 38-year-old man has been arrested after the statue of Sir Winston Churchill in Westminster was defaced with graffiti branding the former prime minister a “Zionist war criminal”. The Metropolitan Police said the man was arrested on suspicion of racially aggravated criminal damage on Friday morning. Other phrases including “Stop the Genocide” and “Free Palestine” were sprayed in red paint on the bronze sculpture in Parliament Square, central London. Further graffiti read “Never again is Now” and “Globalise the Intifada”. A Met spokesperson said: “Shortly after 4am on Friday February 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.” 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 dressed in red coveralls, with “I support Palestine Action” written on the back, painting the statue. Subscribe to The Standard: https://www.standard.co.uk/register for latest breaking news from the UK, US and around the world, plus podcasts and features. Evening Standard on socials: Check out our full video catalog: youtube.com/channel/UC7RQon_YwCnp_LbPtEwW65w?sub_confirmation=1 Videos, daily editorial and more: https://www.standard.co.uk/ Like us on Facebook: facebook.com/TheLondonStandard Follow us on Twitter: x.com/theLDNstandard and Instagram: instagram.com/thelondonstandard