The Metropolitan Police in London put out an alert that "Overnight, the Winston Churchill statue in Parliament Square was graffitied with red paint. Officers were on scene within two minutes of being alerted shortly after 4am. A 38-yr-old man is in custody having been arrested on suspicion of racially aggravated criminal damage."
The man was identified as Dutch Extinction Rebellion protester Olax Outis. Visegrad reports that "Olax Outis is a Dutch climate and pro-Palestine activist, who is a former hunger striker and member of Extinction Rebellion. He identifies with 'Free the Filton 24,' which supports activists charged over a break-in at an Elbit Systems site in the UK.
"He has tried to be euthanised in the Netherlands (unsuccesfully), for which he stated to have suffered severe psychological suffering. Now he claims that direct action provides him with a sense of purpose. Olax was arrested by the Metropolitan Police on suspicion of racially aggravated criminal damage."
The man in question was wearing an orange jumpsuit with the words "I support Palestine Action" written on the back. In a video, he can be seen spray painting the statue of Winston Churchill, the storied and legendary UK Prime Minister who steered the nation through World War II.
After the man was removed and arrested, the statue was cleaned.
Palestine Action was declared a terrorist organization and unlawful by the UK government, which banned the group, but a court said that this ban was unlawful. The group had blocked and vandalized defense industry companies in the country, claiming that the ties those companies had to Israel made them a target.
The group notably broke into a Royal Air Force base and damaged planes in June 2025. Prime Minister Keir Starmer called it "disgraceful" and the group was classified as a terrorist organization for attacking the Royal Air Force base. The group called it a protest and a UK court sided with the group, saying that Starmer's ban on the group and classification of it as a terror group was "a disproportionate interference with free speech rights," Reuters reports.
The Home Office will be appealing and a court has said tha the ban on the group would remain in effect during that appeals process. "We will always take the strongest possible action to protect our national security and our priority remains maintaining the safety and security of our citizens," said the Home Office.
The group was founded in 2020 by Huda Ammori and others in the UK.
The man was identified as Dutch Extinction Rebellion protester Olax Outis. Visegrad reports that "Olax Outis is a Dutch climate and pro-Palestine activist, who is a former hunger striker and member of Extinction Rebellion. He identifies with 'Free the Filton 24,' which supports activists charged over a break-in at an Elbit Systems site in the UK.
"He has tried to be euthanised in the Netherlands (unsuccesfully), for which he stated to have suffered severe psychological suffering. Now he claims that direct action provides him with a sense of purpose. Olax was arrested by the Metropolitan Police on suspicion of racially aggravated criminal damage."
The man in question was wearing an orange jumpsuit with the words "I support Palestine Action" written on the back. In a video, he can be seen spray painting the statue of Winston Churchill, the storied and legendary UK Prime Minister who steered the nation through World War II.
After the man was removed and arrested, the statue was cleaned.
Palestine Action was declared a terrorist organization and unlawful by the UK government, which banned the group, but a court said that this ban was unlawful. The group had blocked and vandalized defense industry companies in the country, claiming that the ties those companies had to Israel made them a target.
The group notably broke into a Royal Air Force base and damaged planes in June 2025. Prime Minister Keir Starmer called it "disgraceful" and the group was classified as a terrorist organization for attacking the Royal Air Force base. The group called it a protest and a UK court sided with the group, saying that Starmer's ban on the group and classification of it as a terror group was "a disproportionate interference with free speech rights," Reuters reports.
The Home Office will be appealing and a court has said tha the ban on the group would remain in effect during that appeals process. "We will always take the strongest possible action to protect our national security and our priority remains maintaining the safety and security of our citizens," said the Home Office.
The group was founded in 2020 by Huda Ammori and others in the UK.
