Winston Churchill statue vandalised in Central London, man arrested

Authorities have arrested a 38-year-old who has been involved in vandalising the statue of wartime Prime Minister Churchill in London’s Parliament Square.

The statue was defaced with red paint and slogans relating to the Gaza conflict.

The Metropolitan Police arrived shortly when the scene was reported after 4:00 a.m. on Friday, February 27.

Officers arrived within 2 minutes and arrested on the suspect on suspicion of racially aggravated criminal damages.

He remains in custody.

The graffiti included phrases like “Zionist war criminal,” “Stop the Genocide,” and “Free Palestine,” from red spray paint.

A group named “Free the Flinton 24” took responsibility for the act on social media.

Authorities deployed the heritage wardens on Friday morning to start cleaning process of the monument.

Spokesperson of the Greater London Authority said they were “appalled by this vandalism” and that the work was underway to clear the monument as soon as possible.

The statue was inaugurated in 1973 by Churchill’s widow, Clementine. The 12-ft statue has been targeted many times recently by several groups.

Earlier, it was vandalised during Black Lives Matter protests in 2020 and by an Extinction Rebellion activist later the same year.