Assembly condemns damage to Churchill statue

The London Assembly has today condemned the appalling criminal damage to the statue of Sir Winston Churchill in Parliament Square.

On 27 February, the statue was targeted with graffiti, including 'Zionist War Criminal', 'Stop The Genocide' and 'Free Palestine'. 

The Assembly agreed a motion today, calling on the Mayor to instruct the Met to use its resources to protect the site from further criminal damage, and to raise the Assembly’s concerns with the Met Commissioner.

Susan Hall AM, who proposed the motion, said:

“Sir Winston Churchill is a national hero, who served our country in its hour of need and ensured the freedoms we richly enjoy today. 

“I wholeheartedly condemn the defacing of his statue in Parliament Square and thank the police for their swift action. 

“But we must prevent this happening again - and that is why I am pleased the Assembly has supported my motion calling on the Mayor to instruct the Met to use its necessary resources to protect these sites of national importance.”

The full text of the motion is:

This Assembly wishes to condemn, in the strongest possible terms, the appalling desecration of the statue of Sir Winston Churchill in Parliament Square on 27 February 2026. 

The immense contribution of Sir Winston Churchill as one of this country's greatest Britons, defending and securing the freedoms we enjoy today, is proudly noted by this Assembly. 

The Assembly wishes to condemn the appalling language graffitied onto a statue of great national importance, including: 'Zionist War Criminal', 'Stop The Genocide' and 'Free Palestine'. 

While the Assembly wishes to note the arrest of a man on suspicion of racially aggravated criminal damage by Metropolitan Police Service officers, it is incredibly concerning that this brazen criminality occurred at a symbolic site of national significance that is managed by the Greater London Authority (GLA). 

Given this location is one of the most heavily policed parts of both London and the country, sitting directly opposite Parliament and a short distance from the Met's headquarters, the occurrence of this despicable criminality raises a number of broader security concerns. 

The Assembly, therefore, calls on the Mayor to: 

• Instruct the Metropolitan Police Service to use its resources to protect this site of national importance and ensure this despicable criminality cannot occur again.
• Raise this Assembly's concerns on the security implications of this criminality directly with the Met Commissioner and request that the Commissioner writes to the Assembly to outline how the Met will prevent a similar event happening again in the future.
• Consider how the GLA as the manager of the site can further support the Met.

The meeting can be viewed via webcast or YouTube.

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