The street artist’s latest work appeared at the Royal Courts of Justice in London on Monday and was immediately covered up by Metropolitan Police officers.
The force is now investigating the graffiti, which is on an external wall of the Queen’s Building, as potential “criminal damage”.
It means Banksy, who has remained anonymous for more than 25 years, could finally be unmasked as he would be required to publicly disclose his name if brought to court.
The artwork, which shows a protester holding a white picket sign spattered with red paint, has now been concealed by large sheets of black plastic and two metal barriers.
Less than 24 hours after it first appeared on the Grade I-listed building, HM Courts and Tribunals (HMCTS) confirmed it would be removed.
Many of Banksy’s works are on random walls somewhere, in which case they would be worth more than the building they’re attached to, but the law courts is an enormous grade 1 listed Victorian building in the middle of the Strand in London, filled up with expensive shit. It is worth a few quid by itself.
I’m sure the building could use a renovation / restoration…. Could have saved the taxpayers a big chunk of a billion dollars…. Or waist a few thousand dollars of tax payer money destroying it…