The UK government is set to make it a criminal offence to climb the statue of Winston Churchill in Parliament Square, with offenders facing up to three months in prison and a £1,000 fine.
Although Churchill’s statue is not officially listed as a war memorial, Home Secretary Yvette Cooper announced plans to include it among protected monuments under new legislation. The move comes as part of the Crime and Policing Bill currently progressing through Parliament.
Other monuments set to receive similar protection include the Cenotaph in Whitehall and the Royal Artillery Memorial in Hyde Park, as well as numerous others commemorating British military service in the World Wars.
“As the country comes together to celebrate VE Day, it is only right that we ensure Winston Churchill's statue is treated with the respect it deserves, along with other sacred war memorials across our nation,” said Cooper.
Churchill himself reportedly selected the location for his statue during the redesign of Parliament Square in the 1950s. The 12-foot bronze figure was unveiled in November 1973 by his widow Clementine Churchill, in a ceremony attended by Queen Elizabeth II and the Queen Mother.
Backing the new law, Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer stated, “Sir Winston Churchill stands among our greatest national heroes. The outrage people feel when his statue is misused reflects the deep respect the British public holds for him. Criminalising such acts is the very least we can do in his honour.”
The statue has been repeatedly targeted during protests in recent decades. In 2000, it was defaced during May Day demonstrations, resulting in a 30-day jail sentence for the perpetrator. In 2014, a protester occupied the plinth for 48 hours but was later acquitted. During 2020’s Extinction Rebellion and Black Lives Matter demonstrations, the statue was again sprayed with graffiti and had to be boarded up and guarded.
Most recently, in April, trans rights activists climbed the statue during protests in Parliament Square, waving signs and marking nearby statues with slogans.
The new legislation aims to put an end to such incidents by imposing criminal penalties on those who climb or deface protected monuments. Photo by Jose L. Marin, Wikimedia commons.