Video footage appears to show members of the public taking matters into their own hands in a bid to view the controversial Banksy artwork outside the Royal Courts of Justice.
The famous street artist shared a picture of the artwork on his Instagram account on Monday morning, captioning the picture “Royal Courts Of Justice. London.”
The artwork, which appears to show a judge using his gavel to strike a protester who is lying on the ground holding a placard, is on an external wall of the Queen’s Building, part of the Royal Courts of Justice complex, and appears to reference the recent use of the law to crack down on protesters.
It comes after the Met police arrested almost 900 demonstrators at a central London rally protesting against the banning of Palestine Action as a terror group on Saturday.
Sitting under a CCTV camera, it has been concealed by large sheets of black plastic and two metal barriers.
But footage published on social media platform X shows a member of the public pulling back the metal barriers today in order to catch a glimpse of the piece.
The British public now taking matters into their own hands to view the controversial Banksy that was painted on the Royal Courts of Justice in London pic.twitter.com/3uK0QJlMTu
— HJB News (@HJB_News__) September 9, 2025
One cyclist can be seen pulling at the barrier, as others move to snap photographs of the artwork, with one person saying, “They shouldn’t be so cruel as to hide it”.
The Met Police said on Monday that the artwork had been reported as criminal damage.
The court service confirmed that it is legally obliged to maintain the character of the building because of its listed status.
After the artwork appeared, the Metropolitan Police said in a statement: “On Monday September 8, officers received a report of criminal damage to the side of the Royal Courts of Justice. Inquiries continue.”
Banksy confirmed he is responsible for the work with a post on Instagram, showing the graffiti before it was covered over.
