A man will face court on Monday after graffiti was sprayed on a statue of Sir Winston Churchill, branding the former prime minister a “Zionist war criminal”.
The bronze monument in Parliament Square, opposite the Houses of Parliament in Westminster, was defaced with phrases including “Stop the Genocide” and “Free Palestine”.
Further graffiti read “Never again is Now” and “Globalise the Intifada” sprayed in red paint.
The Metropolitan Police said Caspar San Giorgio, of no fixed address, was arrested shortly after 4am on Friday following the incident and was charged with criminal damage in the early hours of Saturday.
On Saturday afternoon, the 38-year-old appeared briefly at Westminster Magistrates’ Court via video-link but did not confirm his identity when asked.
The case was adjourned to Monday at the same court so a Dutch interpreter can be provided.
Dutch group Free The Filton 24 claimed responsibility for the action on Friday morning, posting a video on Instagram appearing to show the incident in progress.
Free The Filton 24 defines itself as a group of “family and friends” of the 24 Palestine Action activists who were charged over a break-in at one of Israel-based defence firm Elbit’s UK sites in 2024.
Downing Street labelled the vandalism of the statue “completely abhorrent”.
A Number 10 spokesman said: “Churchill was a great Briton. This Government will always stand up for our values and the perpetrator must be held to account.”
Man charged with criminal damage after Churchill statue defaced with graffiti
Palestine Action arrest after statue of Winston Churchill vandalised
Arrest made after Churchill statue defaced with ‘Zionist war criminal’ graffiti
Winston Churchill statue daubed with graffiti calling him ‘Zionist war criminal’
