A new mural by British street artist Banksy taking aim at the UK's crackdown on protesters has been removed from the Royal Courts of Justice in London.
The work featured a judge wielding a gavel over a protester on the ground holding a blood-splattered placard.
It appeared after 890 people were arrested at a demonstration against a ban on the activist group Palestine Action in London on Saturday.
Footage showed a specialist graffiti cleaner using a chemical spray to try to remove the artwork.
Social media users later posted images of the shadowy remains of the mural.
The work was earlier covered by black plastic sheets and two metal barriers.
The artwork "powerfully depicts the brutality unleashed" by the government's ban, a spokesperson from the Defend Our Juries group] that organised the protest said earlier.
The artist posted an image of the work on his Instagram page. Photo: Instagram
"Since the dystopian ban came into force, over 1600 people have been arrested under the Terrorism Act for holding cardboard signs with seven words 'I oppose genocide. I support Palestine Action'," the spokesperson added.
"When the law is used as a tool to crush civil liberties, it does not extinguish dissent - it strengthens it."
Free speech has become a hot topic in the UK, with people from across the political spectrum complaining that the law is too heavy-handed.
The issue hit international headlines last week when comedy writer Graham Linehan was arrested for posts on X insulting transgender people.
- AFP / RNZ
