Churchill statue in London defaced with graffiti

The statue of Winston Churchill in Parliament Square in Westminster, London, was vandalized overnight with graffiti, including the words “Zionist war criminal.”

Other phrases sprayed in red paint on the bronze sculpture included “Stop the Genocide” and “Free Palestine.” Additional markings read “Never again is Now” and “Globalise the Intifada,” News.Az reports, citing Sky News.

The statue, which was installed in 1973 on the north-east corner of the square, has since been cordoned off and was undergoing cleaning on Friday morning.

Commenting on an image of the vandalism shared on X, Dave Rich, director of policy at the Community Security Trust, said the graffiti included “Free Palestine” alongside a Hamas red triangle symbol, adding that such extremism “is never just a threat to Jews.”

Reactions on social media were divided. One user described the act as “a disgrace to the memory of the greatest Briton,” while another wrote that Churchill “was indeed a Zionist war criminal.”

In December, both the Metropolitan Police and Greater Manchester Police announced that anyone chanting “globalise the intifada” could face arrest. The move followed the Bondi Beach terror attack and an attack at the Heaton Park synagogue in Manchester on October 2.

The Metropolitan Police and Westminster City Council have been contacted for comment.

News.Az 

By Nijat Babayev