Pro-Palestinian London Churchill Statue Vandal Cleared

A man who spray-painted slogans across Sir Winston Churchill’s statue in London’s Parliament Square has been found not guilty of criminal damage following a trial at Southwark Crown Court.Caspar San Giorgi, who also goes by the name Olax Outis, climbed onto the statue on February 27, carrying cans of spray paint, a ladder, and diluted acid, according to GB News. He was accused of causing more than $9,400 of damage by covering the statue in red paint with phrases including “Stop the Genocide,” “Free Palestine,” and “Never Again Is Now,” while branding Churchill a “Zionist war criminal.”A Greater London Authority heritage warden spotted the 39-year-old painting the statue and alerted police, according to the BBC. Before beginning, Mr. San Giorgi removed his coat to reveal a red suit reading “I support Palestine Action” on the back.In the aftermath of the February incident, a Downing Street spokesman condemned the act, calling it “completely abhorrent” and describing Churchill as “a great Briton.”Prosecutor Peter Ratliff told the court Mr. San Giorgi “set about defacing the statue, spraying… the words ‘Free Palestine’ and red triangles on the front, and ‘Never Again Is Now’ on the rear,” the BBC reported. During the trial, Mr. San Giorgi argued that his actions did not amount to criminal damage, insisting he was sending a message to Parliament and that the paint he used was washable and had not permanently harmed the statue. Workers cleaned the red paint from the 12-foot statue shortly after the incident.According to GB News, he explained that the Dutch text he had painted on the monument translated to “The Hague sends their regards” — a message he said was intended for Prime Minister Keir Starmer and Parliament regarding Britain’s stance on Palestine.Representing himself, Mr. San Giorgi told the jury: “If I had a larger canvas and more time, I would have written ‘If Keir Starmer doesn’t come to The Hague, The Hague will come for him.'”He also addressed the jury directly on the potential consequences of his protest, saying, “Whether you convict me or not is not too much of a concern for me. Whether I get acquitted, deported, imprisoned for years, I can be proud of having spoken about injustice, and I have accounted for my actions. I will accept your judgement,” according to the BBC.Mr. San Giorgi further argued that his conduct could not be considered criminal because he was “preventing a crime” through his protest.This is not the first time the Churchill monument has been targeted — it was also vandalized by Black Lives Matter protesters in 2020. While no one was convicted, later in 2020, an Extinction Rebellion protestor pled guilty and was fined for defacing the statue.

Pro-Palestinian London Churchill Statue Vandal Cleared

Pro-Palestinian London Churchill Statue Vandal Cleared

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