London’s Metropolitan Police reported on X that a man was taken into custody following the vandalism of a statue of former Prime Minister Winston Churchill with red graffiti.
Images reveal the monument and its plinth were marked with phrases including “NEVER AGAIN IS NOW,” “ZIONIST WAR CRIMINAL” and “GLOBALISE THE INTIFADA!”
In a statement on Friday, police said, “Overnight, the Winston Churchill statue in Parliament Square was graffitied with red paint.”
They added, “Officers were on scene within two minutes of being alerted shortly after 4am. A 38-yr-old man is in custody having been arrested on suspicion of racially aggravated criminal damage.”
A Dutch activist organization has taken responsibility for the incident.
An Instagram post asserts, “On the morning of 27th February, the statue of Winston Churchill at Parliament Square was defaced with red paint. This protest was organised and executed by @freethefilton24nl.”
The post includes a pre-recorded video where a man states, “My name is Olax Outis. I am a citizen of the Netherlands.”
He declares he is “part of a Dutch action group called Free the Filton 24 NL,” adding, “I’ve come to the United Kingdom to deface statue of one of history’s most well-known war criminals, Winston Churchill.”