A statue of Winston Churchill was vandalized overnight in London’s Parliament Square. The bronze statue, erected in 1973 near the Houses of Parliament, was defaced with slogans like “Zionist war criminal”, “Stop the Genocide”, “Never again is Now”, and “Globalise the Intifada”. Notably, the graffiti also included the message “Greetings from the Hague” in Dutch.

Last night, images captured heritage wardens covering the graffiti with black plastic on the statue’s plinth. These wardens, responsible for overseeing Trafalgar Square and Parliament Square Gardens, were seen managing the situation. The area has been cordoned off and cleanup efforts are currently underway.

This is not the first time Churchill’s statue has been targeted. It was previously vandalized during protests, with graffiti accusing him of racism in June 2020 amid Black Lives Matter demonstrations following George Floyd’s death. In October of the same year, an Extinction Rebellion activist was fined over £1,500 for painting “racist” on the statue during a climate protest.

The 12-foot-tall monument, designed by Ivor Roberts-Jones and unveiled by Lady Clementine Churchill, is among the 12 statues located in or around Parliament Square, featuring prominent figures like Abraham Lincoln and Nelson Mandela.