A Banksy mural that briefly appeared on the wall of a building within London's Royal Courts of Justice is no more. The artwork, which showed a protester on the ground clutching a blood-splattered sign while a judge in full regalia beats them with a gavel, was swiftly removed after appearing on Monday. The HM Courts & Tribunals Service said the 143-year-old building's protected status as a listed structure requires that its original character be preserved.
Banksy, known for his provocative street art, confirmed authorship on Instagram. The BBC reports the piece was widely interpreted as a comment on the government's crackdown on the group Palestine Action and the arrest of demonstrators—nearly 900 people were arrested Saturday at a London protest challenging the ban on the group. Since its appearance on the Queen's Building, the mural had been covered with sheets of black plastic and two metal barriers and guarded, reports the AP. The timing is somewhat notable: Only weeks ago, England's top judge warned about escalating threats and criticism facing the judiciary.
Gallery owner John Brandler tells the New York Times that authorities should have asked him or another dealer to carefully remove the mural so it could be sold to raise funds for charity. He estimates that it could have fetched nearly $7 million. "Yes, it was criminal damage," he says. "But why not use that criminal damage to benefit the community?"
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