The bronze statue was vandalised overnight
The Churchill statue in Parliament Square has been vandalised overnight. The statue that has stood there since 1973 has been pictured covered in red paint and graffiti in the early hours of Friday, February 27.
Posts on X show the bronze statue covered in red paint with the words ‘Zionist War Criminal’ and ‘Stop the Genocide’ written across the plinth the statue stands on. There are also the words ‘Free Palestine’ along the statue itself.
The area has now been cordoned off with police standing guard nearby.
Users have on X have reacted to the vandalism. One person wrote: “Defacing historical monuments doesn’t advance a debate it just escalates it. Disagreements about history should be argued not spray-painted.”
It is not the first time the statue has been defaced. Back in 2021, Chelsea fans wrote “Chelsea”, “CFC” and “1905” (the year the club was founded).
It was also protected by officers during the BLM protests in 2020, as well as during vigils for Sarah Everard in 2021.
The statue is 12 feet tall and is made of bronze. It is located opposite the Palace of Westminster and overlooks the Houses of Parliament.
According to an eyewitness, the area has been cordoned off and is being cleaned at the moment.
