The vandalism of Windrush generation portraits is not being treated as a hate crime, the Met police said after they arrested a man in connection with the incident.
Portraits featured in the Windrush Untold Stories exhibition, currently installed in Windrush Square in Brixton, south London, were damaged on Thursday.
A 24-year-old was detained on Saturday on suspicion of vandalism and remains in police custody.
Friends of Windrush Square had said on Thursday the vandalism was “an attack on public art” and claimed it was driven by “racial hatred”.
On Sunday the police said: “We believe that this was not a hate crime, and I want to reassure anyone with concerns, that a man has now been arrested.”
The Met also said they “understand that those in the community will feel distressed about vandalism to the Windrush exhibition in Brixton” and officers have been in contact with organiser of the exhibition.
The art installation features 20 portraits of those who arrived in the UK from the Caribbean between the late 1940s and 1970s alongside first-hand accounts of their experiences.
Friends of Windrush Square said the vandalism had caused “considerable distress” to local residents, artists, volunteers and project partners, “many of whom are directly connected to the Windrush legacy”.
