Banksy artwork adorning Royal Courts of Justice to be removed by UK authorities

A judge wearing the traditional robe and wig raises his gavel over a protester lying on his back, whose blank placard is stained with blood. Banksy unveiled a new work on the walls of a London courthouse on Monday, September 8, two days after nearly 900 people were arrested at a rally in support of the banned Palestine Action organization. The graffiti appeared in the morning on one of the exterior facades of the Royal Courts of Justice.

Witnesses told the British newspaper The Guardian that they saw officers as early as 8:30 a.m. preventing passersby from taking photos of the work, before surrounding it with a fence that completely obscured it. The artist, whose identity remains a mystery, claimed responsibility for it by posting a photo on his Instagram account.

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Asked by The Guardian, a spokesperson for the court administration said the artwork will have to be removed because the court is a listed building and the authorities are "obliged to maintain its original character." The building – the Queen's Court Building – is part of Britain's national heritage. Banksy, meanwhile, is one of the world's most famous living artists, particularly for his stencils with political and provocative messages that he spreads around the world.

Defend Our Juries, the organization behind the rally in support of Palestine Action, said Monday that Banksy's new work depicted "state brutality against protesters." On Saturday, 890 people were arrested in London during the demonstration, which was rife with tensions between police and protesters.

In total, more than 1,600 people have already been arrested since July during similar protests, and 138 charged on the grounds that they support a "terrorist organization." Indeed, Palestine Action was classified as "terrorist" by the government after damage was caused to an air force base. The arrested protesters are to be tried and most face six months in prison.