A new mural by elusive street artist Banksy has appeared on the side of the Royal Courts of Justice building in central London.
It depicts a judge in a traditional wig and black robe hitting a protester lying on the ground, with blood splattering their placard.
While the mural does not reference a particular cause or incident, its appearance comes two days after almost 900 people were arrested at a London protest against the ban on Palestine Action.
Pictures on social media appeared to show the artwork has already been covered up by large sheets of plastic and two metal barriers.
The artwork is being guarded by security officials outside the building and sits underneath a CCTV camera.
The Bristol-based street artist shared a photo of the wall art on Instagram, which is Banksy’s usual method of claiming a work as authentic. The artists captioned the picture: “Royal Courts Of Justice. London.”
The artwork is on an external wall of the Queen’s Building, part of the Royal Courts of Justice complex.
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.
