Londoners have criticised the “bizarre” removal of the newest Banksy which depicted a wig-wearing judge in a black robe attacking a protester on the floor holding a blood-splattered placard.
Fans of the elusive artist were left disappointed after turning up to the Royal Courts of Justice and finding that the mural had been erased.
The art piece was scrubbed off a wall of the Grade I listed building before being covered up again by a large sheet of black plastic and hidden behind a corrugated metal barrier on Wednesday afternoon. Two security guards were left keeping an eye on the illustration.
A worker in a high-vis jacket could be seen painting over the Banksy on Wednesday and trying to remove the silhouette of the art piece from the court’s wall.
READ MORE: Scrubbing away Banksy's artwork has only made its message more powerful - just ask an art historian
Tom Carpenter, 54, was one of the few people to see the artwork before it was covered up and removed from the back of the Royal Courts.
He told the Standard: “It’s bizarre that it’s been covered up. You need to ask the powers that be what their methodology is and why they’ve done it.
“It’s quite good actually, it was quite impressive and quite strong.
“I think the message to question ‘what is going on’ is important.”
Min Lee, 25, who works in London, said: “I saw the artwork on Instagram. I thought it was very nice and [Banksy] was very brave and bold.
“I tried to come and see it but it’s already gone and security are in front of it so sadly I can’t see it.”
The illustration is understood to be a comment on the hundreds of activists who have been arrested and charged for supporting the terrorist organisation Palestine Action.
Ms Lee said that “as a foreigner, it doesn’t look good” that the artwork was removed and that people need to keep talking to try and resolve issues rather than “ignoring” problems.
Martin Oehmke, 46, LSE Professor of Finance, who works near the building, added: “I was interested in seeing [the artwork] and I wonder what happened to it.
“I would have liked to have seen it but it seems like it has been removed. I’m slightly disappointed I didn’t see it while it was still on the wall.”
Elon Musk, the world’s richest man and owner of X, also criticised authorities for censoring Banksy’s ”accurate” illustration, saying: “The more they try to cover it up, the more it will appear.”
Less than 24 hours after it was spotted on the Grade I-listed building, His Majesty's Courts and Tribunals Service confirmed it would be erased.
A spokesman for the executive agency told The Standard that it was "obliged to maintain its original character".
The Metropolitan Police have also launched an investigation into the graffiti, which is on an external wall of the Queen's Building on Carey Street.
It means that Banksy, who has remained anonymous for more than 25 years, would be required to publicly disclose his name if brought to trial.
Defend Our Juries, which has organised marches against the banning of Palestine Action, said: “As Banksy’s artwork shows, the state can try to strip away our civil liberties, but we are too many in number and our resolve to stand against injustice cannot be beaten.”
Last summer, Banksy, who is widely believed to be from Bristol, launched an animal-themed campaign in London of nine works, which concluded with a gorilla appearing at the entrance to London Zoo.
