September 9, 2025. London wakes to find a satirical take on the British system of justice daubed on the wall of the Royal Court. Portraying a robed and be-wigged judge, gavel raised high over a protestor attempting to fend off an assault, the image draws into frame the legal system’s efforts at stamping out the dissenting voice. It follows on closely from the arrest of 900 protestors over the past five weeks, including 425 at a Palestine Action protest three days ago. With a track record of attacking numerous defence companies affiliated with Israel and the vandalism of Royal Air Force planes, Palestine Action was designated a terrorist organisation in July 2025. Although the activities carried out by Palestine Action have been damaging and even destructive, they have not set out to harm individuals, yet the proscribed designation consigns them to the same category as al-Qaeda or ISIS. One must wonder at the comparison – a group that damages inanimate objects versus another that abducts and beheads hostages on video.
The British of course are no strangers to the slide from protest to activism, having mired themselves in the oppression of the Irish for generations until 1921. Keeping control of an oppressed people is essential to maintain the status quo and imperial power. In contrast to the activism of the Irish, the activities of Palestine Action have aimed to disable military systems using clear visual signs such as red paint thrown into the engines of a Royal Airforce aircraft. It is this most recent action that brought about the amendment of the United Kingdom’s Terrorism Act 2000 just a few weeks ago on 2 July, resulting in Palestine Action being added to the list of terrorist groups. No-one maimed, no-one killed. And whilst as a society cannot condone vandalism of property, whomever may own it, it also cannot be argued that such actions are in the same league of offence as those intended to rob someone of their life.
And so it has followed that people protesting against the genocide in Gaza have been arrested in droves. The consequence is a profound limitation of freedom of expression, despite the assertion by the government that protest is still possible led by alternative pro-Palestinian groups. The fact that the vandalism could be addressed under the existing legislation covering similar such crimes sets a concerning precedent about expressing dissent in the UK.
Banksy’s mural poignantly highlights the irony of a justice system that perceives a greater moral threat in non-lethal protests against genocide than the actions of the those who support the killing of an entire ethnic group. Equally ironic is the cost of law enforcement, prosecution and incarceration of the protestors versus the revenue generated by UK businesses that export arms to Israel. Of the 350 components licenced to be sold to Israel only 30 have been suspended, leaving components for Israel’s F-35 jets available. In addition. There is evidence that a significant number of incendiary devices have been sold in the six months to March 2025.
The judiciary are particularly sensitive to any suggestion of impropriety. The building on which the latest mural was painted was both heritage listed and protected as a judicial institution. In setting the Metropolitan Police to investigate and potentially charge the artist, the irony of the message only continues to deepen. If the judiciary must beat the protestors into submission to silence their “free speech” they will hunt down and do the same to the clandestine graffitist who has so embarrassed them. The shadow of the image left on the wall speaks more loudly than Banksy’s artwork, more impactful now than the original stencil.
Vandalism is a crime in the UK, but genocide is a crime against one of the international community of peoples. Charging peaceful protestors at rallies as if they are machete wielding terrorists is absurd. Pursuing Banksy or any other artist for expressing a controversial political opinion through art is also absurd. If ever there is a means to amplify the matters they seek to subdue, the Royal Courts, Metropolitan Police and the UK Government have gifted the cause a megaphone of international proportions, as loud as any March for Palestine or university sit-in.
In a world observing ethnic cleansing and political assassination, the British authorities have completely missed the point of Banksy’s painting. It was in truth unfinished. He knew the establishment would add the final touch. And true their stiff-upper lips, they have.
