Banksy targets UK crackdown on protest with new High Court mural
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Banksy has painted a mural on London's High Court showing a judge striking a protester, widely seen as a critique of Britain's ban on Palestine Action and the mass arrests of its supporters.
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Banksy's latest appeared overnight on the side of the Royal Courts of Justice building in London. (Instagram, @Banksy)
British street artist Banksy has unveiled a new mural on London's High Court, showing a judge striking down a demonstrator, in what appears to be a response to the mass arrests of activists linked to Palestine Action.
The image, shared on Banksy's Instagram on Monday, portrays a judge in a traditional wig bringing down a gavel on a protester holding a blood-marked placard. The figure on the ground appears to have been subdued by the blow.
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The piece follows the detention of almost 900 people during a London rally on Saturday opposing the government's ban on Palestine Action. Authorities have carried out hundreds of other arrests of the group's supporters in recent weeks.
Britain outlawed Palestine Action in July, designating it as a terrorist group. The move came after members broke into a Royal Air Force base and damaged aircraft following reports of the RAF providing logistical and surveillance assistance to Israeli forces. Under the law, it is now a criminal offense to support or belong to the organization.
The decision has triggered widespread criticism, with opponents warning that the right to protest is increasingly under threat. Observers argue the country's legal and political systems are being used to stifle peaceful dissent.
Although Banksy rarely explains his work, his past projects have often addressed Palestinian struggles, including murals on the West Bank barrier near Beit Lahham.
The mural's location, the Royal Courts of Justice, is a Grade One-listed site, giving it the highest level of heritage protection. By Monday, barriers had already been placed around the artwork to safeguard it.
Read more: Did “Israel” steal a Bansky painting again?
