A man has appeared in court over alleged criminal damage after graffiti was sprayed on Sir Winston Churchill’s statue in Parliament Square.
In the early hours of Friday, messages including “Never again is Now,” “Free Palestine,” and “Globalise the Intifada” were painted on the former prime minister’s statue in central London.
Caspar San Giorgio, 38, who has no fixed address, appeared briefly at Westminster Magistrates’ Court via video link and did not confirm his identity when asked.
The case was adjourned until Monday at the same court so a Dutch interpreter can be provided.
Earlier in December, both the Metropolitan Police and Greater Manchester Police announced that anyone found using the slogan “globalise the intifada” would face arrest.
The wartime leader’s statue has been vandalised several times previously, including during protests.
In June 2020, it was daubed with graffiti accusing Churchill of racism during a Black Lives Matter protest sparked by George Floyd’s death in the United States.
Later that year, an Extinction Rebellion activist was ordered to pay more than £1,500 after painting the word “racist” on the statue’s plinth during a climate protest.
The 12-foot (3.6-meter) monument, created by Ivor Roberts-Jones, was unveiled in 1973 by Lady Churchill, the widow of the wartime leader.
