Fact Check: Banksy London Wall Art Did NOT Show Judge Striking Protester Holding English Flag -- It Was A White Placard Splashed With Blood

Fact Check

  • by: Alan Duke
Fact Check: Banksy London Wall Art Did NOT Show Judge Striking Protester Holding English Flag -- It Was A White Placard Splashed With Blood Not A Flag

Did a mural painted by Banksy on a wall at London's Royal Courts of Justice depict a judge striking a protester lying on the ground and holding an English flag? No, that's not true: The original Banksy wall art featured a protester holding a white placard that appeared to be splashed with blood. The version spreading on social media showing an English flag instead of the placard is not authentic. Banksy's work was covered by a black plastic drape and protected by a metal barrier and by guards hours after it appeared Monday, September 8, 2025.

The fake version appeared in a post (archived here) shared by @benonwine account on X on September 8, 2025. The caption above the image read:

Wow this is quite something! 😮 👏👌

Banksy has unveiled a new artwork depicting a judge attacking a Patriotic protester. 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁥󠁮󠁧󠁿

What do you think?

This is what the altered version of the mural looked like in social posts:

banksy fake.jpeg

(Source: screenshot of X.com by Lead Stories)

The original Banksy art was only visible for a few hours, but the famous English street artist posted (archived here) photographs of it on his Instagram account later in the day. He gave no clues about its meaning beyond a caption that read:

Royal Courts of Justice
London

Banksy shared a wide view and a closer view:

Screenshot 2025-09-08 174346.png

(Source: screenshot of Instagram by Lead Stories)

Screenshot 2025-09-08 174411.png

(Source: screenshot of Instagram by Lead Stories)

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  Alan Duke

Editor-in-Chief Alan Duke co-founded Lead Stories after ending a 26-year career with CNN, where he mainly covered entertainment, current affairs and politics. Duke closely covered domestic terrorism cases for CNN, including the Oklahoma City federal building bombing, the UNABOMBER and search for Southeast bomber Eric Robert Rudolph. CNN moved Duke to Los Angeles in 2009 to cover the entertainment beat. Duke also co-hosted a daily podcast with former HLN host Nancy Grace, "Crime Stories with Nancy Grace" and hosted the podcast series "Stan Lee's World: His Real Life Battle with Heroes & Villains." You'll also see Duke in many news documentaries, including on the Reelz channel, CNN and HLN.

Read more about or contact Alan Duke

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