Banksy Mural Removed

Courtesy of BBC News

By Irene Kim, Staff Reporter

A Banksy mural criticizing the United Kingdom’s justice system, which was put up on Sept. 7, and the subsequent announcement of its removal have sparked online controversy.

The mural, which was posted on the outside of a well-known London courthouse, The Royal Courts of Justice, depicts a judge using a gavel to beat a protester with a bloody sign.

This followed the ban on Palestine Action, a British activist group in support of Palestine that was founded in 2020. The U.K. labeled Palestine Action a terrorist group on July 5, 2025, and since then many pro-Palestine protestors and activists in the U.K. have been arrested or charged.

Banksy, a controversial anonymous street artist, is known for his political commentary. His works often have a strong anti-war and anti-capitalist/establishment sentiment. Banksy has shown support for Palestine in some of his previous works in the West Bank.

The new mural, however, was on a legally protected building. Because of this, the piece was to be removed, and Banksy could face legal consequences. Many people, especially online, have pointed out the irony in this.

“[The removal] is apt because the art piece itself was about how the hand of the law is like kinda coming down on protestors and free speech,” senior and Visual Art Club Co-President Aiden Kim said. “Free speech is obviously very important, right? And when governments try to clamp down on free speech rights, it's obviously concerning. … It's really disturbing when the government comes in, then like arrests [protesters] and prevents them from speaking freely. ”

Though the fact that he made this piece on private property leads others to believe its removal was inevitable and expected. The stated official reason for the removal was criminal damage to a listed building.

“There are two ways to look at it,” U.S. History and Art History teacher Kelly Chong said. “It is private property, it’s owned by the government if you look at it that way. … In another way, it is free speech.”

The message of the piece itself may be more divisive than its removal.

During the removal of the mural, photographs of the “shadow” of the paint and news reports regarding it were posted online. These images went viral across multiple platforms, such as TikTok and X (formerly known as Twitter), with many users pointing out that the stain leaves a stronger impression.

“The amount of symbolism that can be attached to the fact that they weren’t able to remove it fully is insane,” junior Mars Reyes said. “The shadow of it basically haunting the building is almost cathartic in a way.”

Whether Banksy pieces should be treated like art or graffiti has been a widely debated topic. His works have been removed in the past, but many remain where they were put up. However, in the eyes of U.K. law, this piece seems to cross the line into criminal damage.