Man who vandalised Churchill statue in Parliament Square found not guilty of criminal damage
The activist, who was representing himself, said it was not a crime to send a message to Parliament
A pro-Palestine activist who spray-painted slogans on to a statue of Sir Winston Churchill has been found not guilty of criminal damage.
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Olax Outis, who also goes by Caspar San Giorgi, was in court accused of using red spray paint to write slogals including “Stop the Genocide” and “Free Palestine” onto the statue in Parliament Square, central London.
The 39-year-old was accused of causing more than £7,000 of damage, but denied this while representing himself in court.
He said he did not commit a crime because he was sending a message to Parliament. Additionally, the paint he used was washable, so it did not inflict permanent damage to the statue.
Mr San Giorgi was found not guilty at Southwark Crown Court on Monday afternoon, a court official said.
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The court previously heard that Mr San Giorgi went to Parliament Square just before 4am on February 27, carrying cans of spray paint and a ladder to climb the plinth.
He was accused of removing his coat to reveal a red boiler suit with the words “I support Palestine Action” on the back, and “set about defacing the statue – spraying… the words Free Palestine and red triangles on the front, and Never Again Is Now on the rear,” said prosecutor Peter Ratliff.
Mr San Giorgi said one of the phrases he wrote translated as “The Hague sends their regards”, and was intended as a message to Sir Keir and Parliament about Britain’s actions towards Gaza and Palestine.
“I’m proud to be a citizen of The Hague”, he said, while defending himself during the trial.
The Dutch man who has no fixed address, told the court that he wishes to see Keir Starmer “on trial in The Hague.”
He also told the jury: “Whether you convict me or not is not too much of a concern for me.
“Whether I get acquitted, deported, imprisoned for years, I can be proud of having spoken about injustice and I have accounted for my actions. I will accept your judgement.”
Mr San Giorgi was seen painting the statue by a heritage warden for the Greater London Authority (GLA), who alerted police.
Mr San Giorgi said he believed that since the paint could be washed off the statue, he did no damage and his actions could not be criminal as he was “preventing a crime” with his protest.
In the immediate aftermath of the incident, a representative of 10 Downing Street called the defacing of the statue “completely abhorrent”, adding: “Churchill was a great Briton. This government will always stand up for our values and the perpetrator must be held to account.”