London, Censorship and Banksy!

A new artwork by Banksy appeared on the walls of London’s Royal Courts of Justice on Monday. It showed a judge using a gavel to beat a defenseless protester. Within hours, guards covered it up, proving Banksy’s point.

Banksy confirmed the piece was his by posting a photo on Instagram. The image quickly went viral. But at the court itself, workers and guards rushed to block the public from seeing it.

Security guards stood in front of the wall as soon as the painting appeared. Witnesses said they tried to stop people from taking photos. Later, staff arrived with materials to cover it.

The image was believed to reference the state’s response to pro-Palestine demonstrations. Police detained nearly 900 people during Saturday’s protest against the banning of the peaceful activist group Palestine Action.

Defend Our Juries, a group opposing the crackdown, linked the artwork to growing anger over censorship and arrests. A spokesperson said:

“When the law is used as a tool to crush civil liberties, it does not extinguish dissent – it strengthens it. As Banksy’s artwork shows, the state can try to strip away our civil liberties, but we are too many in number and our resolve to stand against injustice cannot be beaten.”

The protester in Banksy’s work is shown lying on the ground, holding a white placard. A red smear on the placard looks like blood. In Banksy’s Instagram post, a lawyer and a cyclist pass by the scene without noticing.

The HM Courts and Tribunals Service justified the cover-up. They said the court is a listed building. Officials are “obliged to maintain its original character.”

But critics argue that the decision was not about heritage. They say it was a political act meant to silence a powerful message.

Banksy is no stranger to political art. The anonymous artist has painted on the Israeli apartheid wall in the occupied West Bank. His works often target injustice, war, and state violence.

In May, he posted an image from Marseille of a stenciled lighthouse alongside the words: “I want to be what you saw in me.” The work was immediately vandalized.