British street artist Banksy, who has a long history of challenging censorship and authority through his work, popped up a new stencil painting on a wall at London’s Royal Courts of Justice. The artwork was swiftly censored by zealous authorities.

The piece — which shows a judge in a wig and gown using a gavel to beat a prostrate protester holding a white, blood-spattered placard — was confirmed as authentic by the mysterious artist through an Instagram post on Monday. The work appeared just days after nearly 900 demonstrators were arrested during protests against the government’s decision to classify Palestine Action as a terrorist organization.

Within hours, security guards positioned themselves in front of the artwork before covering it with large black plastic sheets and preventing access to it with two metal barriers. Higher authorities at the courts ordered the art removed from the side of the courts building.

An HM Courts and Tribunals Service spokesman explained the decision to remove the artwork. “The Royal Courts of Justice is a listed building and HMCTS are obliged to maintain its original character,” one news site quoted the official as saying.

The Queen’s Building, completed in 1964, holds Grade II-listed status under the National Heritage List for England, providing legal protection for buildings of particular architectural or historical interest.

The artwork has drawn strong reactions from various political figures and campaign groups. A spokesman for Defend Our Juries, which organized Saturday’s rally, described the piece as powerfully depicting “the brutality unleashed by [Foreign Secretary] Yvette Cooper on protesters.”

“When the law is used as a tool to crush civil liberties, it does not extinguish dissent, it strengthens it,” the spokesman 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 — our movement against the ban is unstoppable and growing every day.”

The elusive artist, whose identity remains unknown, has a long history of politically charged works. Previous work includes a 2019 piece on the occupied West Bank. In what the artist called a “modified Nativity,” Jesus’s manger was placed in front of Israel’s separation barrier, which was painted to appear as if it had been pierced by a blast, creating the shape of a star.