WHAT WAS CLAIMED
New Banksy art shows a judge attacking a protester carrying the English flag.
OUR VERDICT
False. The original artwork has been edited to include the flag.
AAP FACTCHECK - The latest mural from anonymous street artist Banksy does not show a judge attacking a protester brandishing an English flag, despite claims circulating online.
An edited image of the public artwork, which was stencilled onto London's High Court, is being shared on social media.
A Facebook post from September 9, 2025, shares an image of the mural depicting a judge using a gavel to strike a Saint George's Cross-wielding protester.
Other versions of the image show the protester holding a Union Jack instead.
The images, however, have been edited from the original version, which includes neither flag.
Photos posted on Banksy's Instagram on September 8, 2025, show the protester is holding a blank placard splattered with red paint.
The caption reads: "Royal Courts of Justice London."
The artwork was covered with a metal barrier and guarded by two officers before being scrubbed off, the BBC reported.
While it doesn't explicitly show a particular cause or incident, the mural appears to reference protests against the UK government's ban on activist group Palestine Action.
Two days before it appeared, almost 900 people were arrested at a demonstration in London challenging the proscription of the group as a "terrorist organisation" after activists broke into an air force base and sprayed paint on military planes in June 2025.
Supporting or belonging to the group now carries criminal penalties.
Edited versions of Banksy's artwork have been interpreted differently, with users referencing a campaign to fly the Saint George's Cross and Union Jack in public spaces.
"Banksy has unveiled a new artwork depicting a judge attacking a Patriotic protester," one Instagram post depicting the edited artwork reads.
Dubbed "Operation Raise the Colours", supporters of the movement said it represents unity and patriotism, while others have expressed concern about its association with anti-immigration protests.
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