Banksy mural scrubbed from Royal Courts of Justice

The image took on a ghostly tone as the paint was scrubbed away

A mural by the street artist Banksy is being removed from the wall of a court building in London.

The mural appeared on an external wall of the Queen's Building, in the Royal Courts of Justice complex, on Monday.

The image depicted a protester lying on the ground holding a blood-spattered placard while a judge, in a wig and gown, looms over him, wielding a gavel.

The work has been covered up at various points since it was discovered and guarded by security staff, with the HM Courts & Tribunals Service confirming that it would be removed due to the building being listed and therefore legally protected.

Banksy confirmed he was responsible for the work with a post on Instagram, showing the graffiti before it was covered over.

It has been interpreted by some as a comment on the arrest of hundreds of people for supporting Palestine Action by holding up placards at protests.

Palestine Action was banned by the government as a terrorist group in July after activists damaged RAF planes.

The artwork before it was removed showed a protestor holding a blank blood-spattered sign

The artwork comes weeks after the Lady Chief Justice, the most senior judge in England and Wales, repeated concerns for the safety of judges, who she said had been subjected to "increasing and increasingly unacceptable sensationalist and inaccurate abuse".

The mural was reported as criminal damage, with the Metropolitan Police stating that inquiries were ongoing.

The courts service confirmed that it is legally obliged to maintain the character of the building because of its listed status.

The work was concealed by a metal barrier before being removed

Banksy's stencilled graffiti is often critical of government policy, war and capitalism.

Last summer, the artist began an animal-themed campaign in the capital of nine works, which concluded with a gorilla appearing to lift up a shutter on the entrance to London Zoo.

Other notable works included piranhas swimming on a police sentry box in the City of London, and a howling wolf on a satellite dish, which was taken off the roof of a shop in Peckham, south London, less than an hour after it was unveiled.

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• Police investigate removal of street sign in Peckham as alleged theft

• Banksy piranhas to find new home in London Museum

Banksy has in the past also been known for his work in the West Bank.

In December 2019 he created a "modified Nativity" at a hotel in Bethlehem that showed Jesus' manger in front of Israel's separation barrier, which appeared to have been pierced by a blast, creating the shape of a star.

The wall of the listed building is being returned to its original blank state