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Evening Standard
· collected 2026-09-15 · by Tristan Kirk and Jordan Reynolds
In February, pro-Palestine activist Fabrizio San Giorgi painted slogans on a Winston Churchill statue in London's Parliament Square with red spray paint, causing over £7,000 worth of damage according to prosecutors. During his trial, San Giorgi defended his actions as a protest against perceived injustices towards Palestine and Gaza, arguing that the washable paint did not constitute damage. He was eventually cleared of criminal damage charges but faced criticism from 10 Downing Street for defacing a historical monument.
Written by the local model on 2026-09-16,
using this article's own text rather than the other coverage of the
same event.
Claims extracted
12
claim-shaped sentences
Uncertain
8%
1 of 12 hedged
Leaning
Leans left
of the writing, not the subject
Correction & hedging signals
71.1
corrections and hedging in what we collected;
not a measure of accuracy
Outlets on this story
unclustered
not grouped into a story yet
Narrative spread
1
articles carrying this framing
Why this leaning score
The article's own words the score was based on. Each is quoted
verbatim and was checked against the article text before being
stored, so you can find it in the original.
-
He was accused of causing more than £7,000 of damage by using red spray paint to cover the statue with phrases including “Stop the Genocide” and “Free Palestine”, describing Churchill as a “Zionist war criminal”
left frames political activism positively
-
He disputed that the washable paint had actually damaged the statue. 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.
left describes activist's actions without condemnation
-
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.”
right frames political activism negatively
Leaning score -0.35 for article 11001 (high confidence, 3 verified quotes) · logged 2026-09-16
He was accused of causing more than £7,000 of damage by using red spray paint to cover the statue with phrases including “Stop the Genocide” and “Free Palestine”, describing Churchill as a “Zionist war criminal”, and calling for former prime minister Sir Keir Starmer to stand trial for war crimes.
But he denied the criminal damage charge at trial, telling a jury he did not believe he had done anything criminal because he was sending a message to Parliament, and he disputed that the washable paint had actually damaged the statue.
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.
asserted
Giorgi → accuse → plinth
He removed 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.
asserted
Ratliff → remove → rear
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.
asserted
he → say → trial
“If I had a larger canvass and more time, I would have written if Keir Starmer doesn’t come to The Hague, The Hague will come for him.
asserted
Hague → have → him
“My wish is to see him on trial in The Hague.”
asserted
him → see → Hague
He also told the jury: “Whether you convict me or not is not too much of a concern for me.
asserted
convict → tell → 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.
asserted
I → acquit → actions
Read More
“I will accept your judgement.”
asserted
I → read → judgement
Mr San Giorgi was seen painting the statue by a heritage warden for the Greater London Authority (GLA), who alerted police.
asserted
who → see → 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.
uncertain
he → say → 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.
asserted
Churchill → call → statue
This government will always stand up for our values and the perpetrator must be held to account.”
asserted
perpetrator → stand → account
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