New Banksy Mural Appears After Protest in Support of Palestinian Activists

New Banksy Mural Appears After Protest in Support of Palestinian Activists
Banksy via Instagram @banksy

Two days after the arrest of nearly 900 people at a London demonstration in support of Palestinian activists, a new Banksy mural appeared in the city center. The work, shared by the artist on his Instagram account on September 8, depicts a judge in traditional garb striking a protester with a gavel. The protester is shown holding a bloody placard, creating a scene of direct criticism of institutional violence. The mural was painted on the exterior of the Royal Courts of Justice in Westminster.

A few hours after its release, the work was quickly covered with a plastic sheet and surrounded by metal fences, under security guards. Although Banksy didn't explicitly reference a specific event, the intervention occurred shortly after the September 6 protests against the ban on the Palestine Action group, classified in July by the British government as a terrorist organization. The demonstration brought together around 1,500 people in Parliament Square, who displayed improvised signs with messages of support for the Palestinian cause.

The choice of location reinforces the political dimension of the work: the mural was created on the wall of the Queen's Building, part of the Royal Courts of Justice complex, a building classified as a historic landmark on the UK's list of protected properties. Known for using his art as a tool for social and political commentary, Banksy had previously dedicated himself to denouncing the situation in Palestine with murals in the Gaza Strip and in the Walled Off Hotel project, located in the West Bank.
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