Undated photo released by Banksy of the new artwork by the artist which portrays a judge beating a protester with a gavel at the Royal Courts of Justice in London. (Banksy via AP)2025-09-08T14:26:08Z LONDON (AP) A new mural by elusive street artist Banksy showing a judge beating an unarmed protester with a gavel will be removed from a wall outside one of Londons most iconic courts, authorities said Monday.The mural appeared Monday and depicts a protester lying on the ground holding a blood-splattered placard while a judge in a traditional wig and black gown beats him with a gavel. Banksy posted a photo of the work on Instagram, his usual method of claiming a work as authentic. It was captioned Royal Courts Of Justice. London.Security officials outside the courthouse covered the artwork Monday with sheets of black plastic and two metal barriers, and it was being guarded by two officers and a security camera.Because the Victorian gothic revival style building is 143 years old, the mural will be removed with consideration for its historical significance, according to HM Courts and Tribunals. The Royal Courts of Justice is a listed building and HMCTS are obliged to maintain its original character, it said in a statement. Listed buildings are considered the countrys most significant historic buildings and sites and are protected by law. While the artwork doesnt refer to a particular cause or incident, activists saw it as a reference to the U.K. governments ban on the group Palestine Action. On Saturday almost 900 people were arrested at a London protest challenging the ban. Undated photo released by Banksy of the new artwork by the artist which portrays a judge beating a protester with a gavel at the Royal Courts of Justice in London. (Banksy via AP) Undated photo released by Banksy of the new artwork by the artist which portrays a judge beating a protester with a gavel at the Royal Courts of Justice in London. (Banksy via AP) Share Share Facebook Copy Link copied Print Email X LinkedIn Bluesky Flipboard Pinterest Reddit Read More Defend Our Juries, the group that organized the protest, said in a statement that the mural powerfully depicts the brutality unleashed by the government ban.When the law is used as a tool to crush civil liberties, it does not extinguish dissent, it strengthens it, the statement said. The courts have weighed in on the Palestine Action case, with judges initially rejecting the organizations request to appeal its ban. A High Court court judge then allowed the appeal to go forward, though the government is now challenging that decision. Banksy began his career spray-painting buildings in Bristol, England, and has become one of the worlds best-known artists. His paintings and installations sell for millions of dollars at auction and have drawn thieves and vandals. Banksys work often comments on political issues, with many of his pieces criticizing government policy on migration and war. Security officials stand in front of large sheets of black plastic and two metal barriers which conceal street artist Banksys latest artwork, a protester lying on the ground holding a blood-splattered placard while a judge in a traditional wig and black gown beats him with a gavel, outside at the Royal Courts of Justice in London, Monday, Sept. 8, 2025. (AP Photo/Joanna Chan) Security officials stand in front of large sheets of black plastic and two metal barriers which conceal street artist Banksys latest artwork, a protester lying on the ground holding a blood-splattered placard while a judge in a traditional wig and black gown beats him with a gavel, outside at the Royal Courts of Justice in London, Monday, Sept. 8, 2025. (AP Photo/Joanna Chan) Share Share Facebook Copy Link copied Print Email X LinkedIn Bluesky Flipboard Pinterest Reddit Read More At the Glastonbury Festival last year, an inflatable raft holding dummies of migrants in life jackets was unveiled during a bands headline set. Banksy appeared to claim the stunt, which was thought to symbolize small boat crossings of migrants in the English Channel, in a post on Instagram.The artist has also taken his message on migration to Europe.In 2019, The Migrant Child, depicting a shipwrecked child holding a pink smoke bomb and wearing a life jacket, was unveiled in Venice, Italy. In 2018, a number of works including one near a former center for migrants that depicted a child spray-painting wallpaper over a swastika were discovered in Paris.Banksy has also created numerous artworks in the West Bank and Gaza Strip over the years, including one depicting a girl conducting a body search on an Israeli soldier, another showing a dove wearing a flak jacket, and a masked protester hurling a bouquet of flowers. He designed the Walled Off Hotel guesthouse in Bethlehem, which closed in October 2023.Last summer, Banksy captured Londons attention with an animal-themed collection, which concluded with a mural of a gorilla appearing to hold up the entrance gate to London Zoo.For nine days straight, Banksy-created creatures from a mountain goat perched on a building buttress to piranhas circling a police guard post to a rhinoceros mounting a car showed up in unlikely locations around the city. LYDIA DOYE Doye, based in London, reports on UK news for The Associated Press. mailto