Banksy reappears with a mural of a judge beating a protester and authorities cover it up.

The mysterious British street artist Banksy returned to action in London on Monday with a painting of the British capital's Court of Justice , which is now covered and under surveillance. The painting, which went viral on social media, depicts a judge holding a gavel and striking a person holding a blood-stained banner and is located on one of the exterior walls of the Queen's Building .

Banksy posted a photo of the work on Instagram, his usual method of claiming authenticity. He captioned it "Royal Courts of Justice, London."

Shortly after, the work was covered with black plastic sheeting and two metal barriers, and was being guarded by two officers and a security camera.

Because the Victorian Gothic building is 143 years old, the mural will be removed in light of its historical significance, according to judicial sources. "The Court of Justice is a listed building, and HMCTS (Her Majesty's Courts and Tribunals Service) is obliged to maintain its original character," a statement said.

Although the artwork does not refer to a particular cause, activists saw it as a reference to the UK government's ban on the Palestine Action group. On Saturday, nearly 900 people were arrested at a London protest defying the ban.

Defend Our Juries , the group that organized the protest, said in a statement that the mural "powerfully represents the brutality unleashed" by the government ban. "When the law is used as a tool to crush civil liberties, it doesn't extinguish dissent, it strengthens it," the statement said.

The courts have intervened in the Palestine Action case, with some judges initially rejecting the organization's request to appeal its ban. A High Court judge later allowed the appeal to go forward, although the government is now challenging that decision.

Banksy began his career spray-painting buildings in Bristol , England, and has become one of the world's best-known artists. His paintings and installations sell for millions of dollars at auction and have attracted thieves and vandals.

Banksy's work often comments on political issues, with many of his pieces criticizing government policy on migration and war.

At last year 's Glastonbury Festival , an inflatable raft featuring migrant mannequins wearing life jackets appeared during a band's headline performance. Banksy was behind the action, which symbolized migrant crossings in small boats across the English Channel, in an Instagram post. The artist has also taken his message about migration to Europe.

In 2019, "The Migrant Child," depicting a shipwrecked child holding a pink smoke flare and wearing a life jacket, was unveiled in Venice, Italy. In 2018, several works were discovered, including one near a former migrant center depicting a child spray-painting a swastika on wallpaper in Paris.

Banksy has also created numerous artworks in the West Bank and Gaza Strip over the years, including one depicting a girl frisking an Israeli soldier, another showing a dove wearing a bulletproof vest, and a masked protester throwing a bouquet of flowers. He designed the "Walled Off Hotel" guesthouse in Bethlehem, which closed in October 2023.

Last summer, Banksy captured London's attention with an animal-themed collection, culminating in a mural of a gorilla appearing to hold up the entrance gate to London Zoo.

For nine consecutive days, Banksy-created creatures—from a mountain goat perched on a building's buttress to piranhas surrounding a police post and a rhino riding a car—appeared in unexpected places around the city.