Banksy outside the Royal Courts of Justice

Banksy returned to painting walls in London on September 8th with a strong, well received piece painted directly on the walls of the Royal Courts of Justice. Also known as the Law Courts and containing the High Court and Court of Appeal, the building in the Strand is at the top of the UK Legal system. Or, put more simply, the most fitting location for this work which criticises the laws currently being applied to protests and protestors.

The work depicts a protestor lying on the ground, placard bloodied – as a judge looms over and strikes with a gavel, a clear symbol of the justice system. Above, a CCTV camera fails to capture the scene.

The artwork was quickly fenced off and security guards posted. All of which seemed to reinforce the point Banksy had been making. Maybe realising this, the artwork was later uncovered and has been made visible for a short time until it’s cleaned off – the courts are a Grade I listed building after all. In the meantime the impact of the work has been shared far and wide, with multiple news outlets picking up on the story. Let’s see if it helps move the dial back in the right direction on allowing the right to protest in the UK.

Update, Tuesday 9th September: Around 5pm work started to remove the artwork from the wall: