New Banksy Mural on UK Court Depicts Judge Beating Nonviolent Protester With Gavel

[cbabe]

https://www.commondreams.org/news/bank-uk-mural-palestine-action

New Banksy Mural on UK Court Depicts Judge Beating Nonviolent Protester With Gavel

"When the law is used as a tool to crush civil liberties, it does not extinguish dissent—it strengthens it," said the group who faced nearly 900 arrests over the weekend for peaceful protest.

JON QUEALLY
Sep 08, 2025

A mural by the world-renowned street artist Banksy depicting a judge magistrate beating a bloodied demonstrator on the ground with his gavel appeared Monday morning outside the Royal Courts of Justice building in London—a piece of commentary on the ongoing controversy surrounding the right to free speech in the UK when it comes to Palestinian rights.

The new artwork, which the artist confirmed was his in an Instagram post, comes amid uproar over a UK government law that has been used to ban individuals and entire groups from protesting under anti-terrorism laws.

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The Met Police reported that 890 people were arrested in total on Saturday. Of those, 857 were arrested for the sole offense of voicing their support for Palestine Action, now a crime in the UK. The other 33 arrests were for various infractions, including 17 for assault of police officers.

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London-based journalist Barry Malone called the piece "extremely powerful," especially given the context. "The timing, the placement," he said. "It's perfect."

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[Easterncedar]

1. The ferocity of the suppression of protest is shocking

I thought better of Britain than this, and can’t fathom why this anti free speech violence is happening under a Labour government. Clearly, I have been naïve.

[LetMyPeopleVote]

2. Well 1 hour after the new banksy was revealed, the courts censored it by covering it up...

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