Man appears in court over Churchill statue damage

A man has appeared in court charged with criminal damage after graffiti was sprayed on the statue of Sir Winston Churchill in Parliament Square.

In the early hours of Friday, graffiti including "Never again is Now", "Free Palestine" and "Globalise the Intifada" appeared on the statue of the former prime minister in central London.

Caspar San Giorgio, 38, of no fixed address, appeared briefly at Westminster Magistrates' Court via video-link but did not confirm his identity when asked.

The case was adjourned to Monday at the same court so a Dutch interpreter can be provided.

In December, both the Met and Greater Manchester Police announced anyone found using "globalise the intifada" would face arrest.

The wartime prime minister's statue has been vandalised several times in the past, including during protests.

In June 2020, it was scrawled with graffiti accusing Churchill of being a racist, during a Black Lives Matter protest triggered by the death of George Floyd in the US.

Later that year, an activist for environmental group Extinction Rebellion was ordered to pay more than £1,500 for defacing the statue by painting "racist" on its plinth during a climate protest.

The 12ft (3.6m) monument, created by Ivor Roberts-Jones, was unveiled in 1973 by the wartime prime minister's widow Lady Churchill.

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