The Metropolitan Police arrested a 38-year-old man on Jan. 27 on suspicion of defacing the statue of Winston Churchill outside Britain’s Houses of Parliament with paint that read, “Zionist war criminal,” among other phrases.
Churchill’s dark bronze figure was smudged in red graffiti. The phrases “Free Palestine” and “Stop the genocide” could be seen on it as well.
The Guardian cited a Met spokesperson as saying, “Shortly after 4 a.m. on Friday, a man was seen spraying graffiti on the statue of Winston Churchill in Parliament Square. The first officers were on the scene within two minutes. The man—who is 38—was arrested on suspicion of racially aggravated criminal damage. He remains in custody.”
A government spokesman told Sky News, “Churchill was a great Briton. This government will always stand up for our values, and the perpetrator must be held to account. We’re glad the police have made an arrest.”
Dutch group “Free the Filton 24” claimed responsibility for the vandalism, the report added.
The group is supportive of Palestine Action, the organization banned in the U.K. under anti-terrorism laws, but whose ban has since been struck down by the High Court of Justice. It remains in place pending the government’s appeal of the decision.
The number “24” stands for 24 Palestine Action activists charged over trespassing into a British facility belonging to Israeli defense firm Elbit Systems in 2024, according to Sky News.
The Dutch group posted a video on Instagram allegedly depicting the man who defaced the statue, the report continued. He was identified as Olax Outis.
JNS could not confirm the content of the video.
The Jewish Leadership Council said it was “disgusted” by the incident.
“In targeting the statue of a British hero who led this country in the fight against the Nazis, the perpetrator has found a perverse way to combine a hatred of Jews with a disdain for Britain,” it tweeted.
On Feb. 4, a London court acquitted six suspected Palestine Action activists of burglary, even though they confessed to breaking into a U.K. subsidiary of Elbit.
Prosecutors may seek a retrial for lesser charges, but the acquittal by a jury showed that Palestine Action may enjoy more leeway from the courts than from Parliament and the government.
We are disgusted by the defacing of the Churchill statue in Parliament Square. In targeting the statue of a British hero who led this country in the fight against the Nazis, the perpetrator has found a perverse way to combine a hatred of Jews with a disdain for Britain. https://t.co/u6710Tg0eB
— Jewish Leadership Council (@JLC_uk) February 27, 2026
