Anti-Israel protester vandalizes 1914 painting of British politician who backed creation of Jewish state
An anti-Israel protester slashed and spray-painted a 1914 painting of a British politician who played a key role in the creation of the Jewish state on Friday.
Palestine Action proudly boasted that one of its activists “ruined” the historic Philip Alexius de László painting of Lord Arthur James Balfour inside the University of Cambridge’s Trinity College.
In 1917, Balfour vowed support for “the establishment in Palestine of a national home for the Jewish people” which eventually led to the creation of Israel in 1948.
“He gave away the Palestinians’ homeland — a land that wasn’t his to give away,” Palestine Action said on its website.
The organization added that the defiant act, which was captured on video it shared on Instagram, aimed to symbolize “the bloodshed of the Palestinian people since the Balfour Declaration was issued in 1917” and the conflict following Hamas’ surprise Oct. 7 attack on Israel.
The deadly assault killed 1,200 Israelis and led to the kidnapping of 240 others, while 30,000 Gazans have been killed during Israel’s response, according to Hamas-aligned health officials.
“Trinity College regrets the damage caused to a portrait of Arthur James Balfour during public opening hours,” a spokesperson told the Cambridge Independent.
“The police have been informed. Support is available for any member of the college community affected.”
The Cambridgeshire Constabulary said it received an online report of “criminal damage” to the artwork and that officers were investigating.
“No arrests have been made at this stage,” it added.