A man has been taken into custody following the vandalization of a statue honoring former UK Prime Minister Winston Churchill in London. The Metropolitan Police disclosed this information in a post on X.

Images circulating show the statue and its pedestal marked with phrases like “NEVER AGAIN IS NOW,” “ZIONIST WAR CRIMINAL,” and “GLOBALISE THE INTIFADA!” in red graffiti.

“During the night, the Winston Churchill statue in Parliament Square was targeted with red paint graffiti,” the police stated in their Friday post.

A woman was seen photographing the defaced statue, which included the words “Free Palestine,” in Parliament Square, London, on February 27, 2026, according to REUTERS/Carlos Jasso.

Police reported that officers arrived at the scene within two minutes of receiving the alert shortly after 4 AM. A 38-year-old man was arrested on suspicion of racially aggravated criminal damage and is currently in custody.

A Dutch activist collective has come forward, claiming responsibility for the graffiti incident.

The statue of Sir Winston Churchill, which was defaced overnight with red paint and the words “Never again is now,” in Parliament Square, London, England, Feb. 27, 2026.  (Reuters/Carlos Jasso)

“On the morning of 27th February, the statue of Winston Churchill at Parliament Square was defaced with red paint. This protest was organised and executed by @freethefilton24nl,” a post on Instagram claims.

The post features a pre-recorded statement in which a man says, “My name is Olax Outis. I am a citizen of the Netherlands.” 

The Churchill statue in Parliament Square is vandalized in the early hours of the morning with red paint and anti-Israel slogans including “Zionist war criminal”, “Stop the Genocide”, “Never again is Now,” “Globalise the Intifada,” and what appears to be “Greetings from the Hague” in Dutch on Feb. 27, 2026, in London. (Guy Smallman/Getty Images)

He identifies himself as “part of a Dutch action group called Free the Filton 24 NL,” explaining, “I’ve come to the United Kingdom to deface statue of one of history’s most well-known war criminals, Winston Churchill.”

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