Street artist Banksy dropped a new mural at the Royal Courts of Justice in London, only for it to be covered up within hours.
On Monday morning, London locals woke up to a mural on a wall on the Queen’s Building at the Royal Courts of Justice. The mural featured a judge beating a person – seemingly a protester holding a placard – with a gavel. The white placard was smeared with red blood splatter, the only color in the artwork.
Many were quick to assume that the iconic and anonymous street artist Banksy was behind it, largely cos the graffiti matched his style. This was later confirmed when the artist himself posted a picture of the mural on his Instagram page, which is followed by more than 13 million people. As usual, he did not reveal any details in the caption except the location.
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But even as people and the press arrived at the location to view the mural, authorities covered up the mural. It is suggested that the mural was a reference to the recent pro-Palestine protests in London, where peaceful protestors were arrested by the police. The critique was perhaps why the London authorities did not want the mural to attract further attention and become a rallying point for further protests. Furthermore, the Royal Court of Justice has reported the mural as “criminal damage” – a surprise, since the UK authorities have previously treated many of his past works as culturally significant. The incident might also put the anonymity of Banksy at risk, since a legal warrant would waive off his privacy and put his real identity in the public domain.
