A new mural by the UK street artist Banksy showing a judge beating a protester, which was revealed by the artist at around 11am today, has already been covered up. According to the BBC, the work, painted on a wall at the Royal Courts of Justice in London, has been concealed by large sheets of plastic and two metal barriers.
The painting, which was posted by the artist on his Instagram account, depicts a judge in a traditional wig and black robe hitting a demonstrator lying on the ground with his gavel, blood splattering the placard. Banksy has captioned the work online: “Royal Courts of Justice: London.”
The mural could be the artist’s response to the arrest of 890 protestors at a demonstration against the UK government's ban on the group Palestine Action, which took place in London last weekend.
Responding to Banksy's work, a spokesperson for campaign group Defend Our Juries, which organised Saturday's rally, said in a statement that it “powerfully depicts the brutality unleashed by [the then-UK Home Secretary] Yvette Cooper on protesters by proscribing Palestine Action”. Cooper has since been moved to the post of foreign secretary, as part of a government reshuffle
Banksy is known for making political statements. In 2017, the elusive artist opened the Walled Off hotel in Bethlehem, Palestine, which faced the 30 foot-high concrete barrier that runs through the occupied West Bank. The venue, considered a protest piece against the Israeli occupation, closed in 2023.
In 2022, he created seven murals in various locations in Ukraine, including the capital Kyiv, the suburb of Irpin and the town of Borodyanka, which are among the places hardest hit by Russian bombardments.