Police are investigating after seven statues and property were vandalised before tens of thousands of trans rights protesters marched through central London on Saturday.
Trans rights groups, trade unions and community organisations demanded “trans liberation” and “trans rights now” as they came together for a demonstration in Parliament Square in Westminster amid anger over the UK’s highest court ruling the terms “woman” and “sex” in the 2010 Equality Act “refer to a biological woman and biological sex”.
The square is home to 12 statues of political figures, including Winston Churchill, Abraham Lincoln and Mahatma Gandhi.
On a statue of suffragette Millicent Fawcett, “f** rights” and a heart were painted on the banner and “trans rights are human rights” was sprayed on the pedestal bearing a memorial to South African military leader and statesman Jan Christian Smuts.
The Metropolitan Police said no arrests have been made, but officers are investigating.
Chief Superintendent Stuart Bell, who was leading the policing operation for the protest, said the damage was “very disappointing to see”.
“We support the public’s right to protest but criminality like this is completely unacceptable. We are now investigating this criminal damage and urge anyone with any information to come forward.”
Activists waved flags and held banners as they marched towards St James’s Park.
The impact of the long-awaited judgment delivered on Wednesday means transgender women with a gender recognition certificate can be excluded from single-sex spaces if “proportionate”.
The government said the unanimous decision by five judges brought “clarity and confidence” for women and service providers, while a Labour Party source said Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer had brought the party to a “common sense position” on the subject from an “activist” stance.
The ruling means trans women cannot use single-sex female toilets, changing rooms or compete in women’s sports, according to the head of Britain’s equalities watchdog.
Among the groups supporting the London protest are Trans Kids Deserve Better, Pride in Labour, the Front for the Liberation of Intersex Non-binary and Transgender people (Flint) and TransActual.
A rally and march organised by Resisting Transphobia is also taking place in Edinburgh on Saturday afternoon.
Avery Greatorex, co-chair of Pride in Labour, told the PA news agency: “Not a single trans person or trans organisation was represented in that case, and so we weren’t given an opportunity to have a seat at the table, which is obviously a very concerning thing for our community when decisions are being made without us.
“So the protest was organised to put pressure on the Government, on the public to act.
“To be able to secure the rights of transgender people and to secure those protections, we need legislative power and we need lobbying power.”
A spokesperson for Trans Kids Deserve Better said: “The transmisogyny that led to this court ruling is unacceptable.
“Though this ruling has brought another wave of fear to the trans community, we will continue to fight for our rights and freedoms.
“When you attack trans women you attack all trans people and all women. Our rights do not oppose each other, they go hand in hand, and we will keep fighting until we’re all free.”
