Palestine protesters spray ketchup ‘blood’ over Lord Balfour statue in Parliament
Two women targeted statue of the former prime minister and signatory of the Balfour Declaration, which pledged the formation of a “national home for the Jewish people”.
Two women have been arrested after protesters pretending to be tourists squirted tomato ketchup on to a statue in the Houses of Parliament.
Members of Palestine Action used tourist passes to enter the Members’ Lobby of the House of Commons.
They targeted a statue of former prime minister Lord Arthur Balfour, signatory of the Balfour Declaration – a 1917 document which pledged the formation of a “national home for the Jewish people” in Palestine.
As they sprayed the red condiment, which the group described as fake blood, one demonstrator said on Saturday morning: “Palestinians have suffered for 105 years because of this man, Lord Balfour – he gave away their homeland and it wasn’t his to give.”
The two protesters glued themselves to the statue after squirting the ketchup, before revealing a miniature Palestinian flag and shouting “free Palestine”.
The Metropolitan Police said in a statement: “Police were alerted at 11.20am on Saturday November 12 to two women who had entered the Parliamentary Estate with tourist tickets.
“They had glued themselves to a statue in the Member’s Lobby in the House of Commons and had thrown ketchup over the statue and a wall.”
Two women were arrested for criminal damage and taken to a London police station, where they remained on Saturday evening.
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