New Banksy mural of judge beating a protester outside London court covered up by court staff, Elon Musk reacts amid outrage

A painting by street artist Banksy showing a judge beating an unarmed protester with a gavel appeared on the walls of the Royal Courts of Justice in London. It was, however, soon covered up by guards. Later authorities confirmed that the painting will be removed. Banksy confirmed the artwork was his by sharing a picture of it on Instagram on Monday (September 8, 2025). According to news agency AP, this is his usual method of claiming a work as authentic. It was captioned “Royal Courts Of Justice. London.”

The painting will be removed from a wall outside one of London’s most iconic courts, authorities said Monday, news agency AP reported. The mural appeared on Monday and depicts a protester lying on the ground holding a blood-splattered placard while a judge in a traditional wig and black gown beats him with a gavel.

Security officials outside the courthouse covered the artwork Monday with sheets of black plastic and two metal barriers, and it was being guarded by two officers and a security camera. Because the Victorian gothic revival style building is 143 years old, the mural will be removed with consideration for its historical significance, according to HM Courts and Tribunals.

“The Royal Courts of Justice is a listed building and HMCTS are obliged to maintain its original character,” it said in a statement, as quoted by AP. Listed buildings are considered the country’s most significant historic buildings and sites and are protected by law.

Elon Musk reacts
The decision of authorities to cover up the mural triggered outrage online. It also caught the attention of billionaire Elon Musk who reacted on the matter in a series of posts on social media platform X. An X user shared a picture of police officers guarding a wall covered by a makeshift arrangement. “Well, 1 hour after the new Banksy was revealed that was mocking the courts for censoring people, the courts censored it by covering it up… Proving his point…,” the user wrote in the post.Reacting to it, Tesla founder said, The more they try to cover it up, the more it will appear.”

Meanwhile, responding to a separate post about the mural by another X user who called it “extremely powerful,” Musk said, “Accurate.”

Activists saw new Banksy mural as reference to the U.K. govt’s ban on the group Palestine Action
The artwork doesn’t refer to a particular cause or incident. Several activists, however, saw it as a reference to the UK government’s ban on the group Palestine Action, AP reported. On Saturday almost 900 people were arrested at a London protest challenging the ban.

Defend Our Juries, the group that organized the protest, said in a statement that the mural “powerfully depicts the brutality unleashed” by the government ban, according to AP. “When the law is used as a tool to crush civil liberties, it does not extinguish dissent, it strengthens it,” the statement said.

The courts have weighed in on the Palestine Action case, with judges initially rejecting the organization’s request to appeal its ban. A High Court court judge then allowed the appeal to go forward, though the government is now challenging that decision.