London arrest linked to Churchill statue vandalism and Palestine Action support

A 38-year-old man in London was arrested on suspicion of racially aggravated criminal damage after defacing Winston Churchill’s statue in Parliament Square and was later arrested on suspicion of supporting Palestine Action, potentially the first such arrest since a High Court ruled the government’s ban on the group unlawful; the Home Office has permission to appeal. The graffiti branded Churchill a “Zionist war criminal” and included calls like “Free Palestine,” with responsibility claimed by the group Free the Filton 24. The statue has been vandalised before during protests and other campaigns.