A MAN was arrested today after the statue of Winston Churchill in central London was sprayed with the words “zionist war criminal.”

The Metropolitan Police said the 38-year-old man was arrested on suspicion of racially aggravated criminal damage.

Other phrases, including “Stop the Genocide” and “Free Palestine,” were also sprayed in red paint on the bronze sculpture in Parliament Square.

Further graffiti read “Never again is Now” and “Globalise the Intifada.”

Dutch group Free the Filton 24 claimed responsibility, posting a video appearing to show a man, wearing red coveralls with “I support Palestine Action” on the back, painting the statue.

Olax Outis claimed to be the figure, posting on Instagram that he took the action “to draw attention to the horrible human rights violations happening in a country that’s run by colonisers who refuse to listen to their people.”

“The current British government should be dragged before the International Court of Justice in The Hague, and as a representative of The Hague, I’m here to hold them accountable,” he said.

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A Greater London Authority spokesperson said: “We are appalled by this vandalism.”

Downing Street called the action “completely abhorrent,” with No 10 spokesman saying: “Churchill was a great Briton.

“This government will always stand up for our values, and the perpetrator must be held to account.”

The statue has been vandalised several times before, including during Black Lives Matter protests in 2020, when graffiti accusing Churchill of being a racist was scrawled on it.