Pro-Palestine activist attacks Lord Balfour painting at Trinity College

A pro-Palestine activist sprayed paint and then slashed a 1914 painting of Lord Arthur Balfour at Trinity College on Friday.

Cambridgeshire Police officers attended the scene “to secure evidence and progress the investigation” following the attack at the University of Cambridge college, which was filmed and posted on X (formerly Twitter) on Friday afternoon.

The footage shared on X showed a woman spraying red paint on the painting before taking a knife to the portrait by artist Philip Alexius de Laszlo.

Lord Arthur Balfour (1848-1930) is the British politician who cleared the way for the foundation of modern Israel.

The British statesman and Prime Minister 1902-05 was behind the Balfour Declaration, a 1917 document which stated British support for “the establishment in Palestine of a national home for the Jewish people.”

Then the foreign secretary, Lord Balfour’s support was made in a letter sent on 2 November 1917 to Baron Rothschild of Tring, the then leader of the Anglo-Jewish community. The British army occupied Jerusalem from 9 December 1917 until 14 May 1948 - the day of the creation of the state of Israel.

The post by activist group Palestine Action said: “Balfour’s declaration began the ethnic cleansing of Palestine by promising the land away — which the British never had the right to do.”

The defacing was intended to symbolise the bloodshed of the Palestinian people since the Balfour Declaration was issued in 1917, the group said.

A Trinity College spokesman said: “Trinity College regrets the damage caused to a portrait of Arthur James Balfour during public opening hours.

“The police have been informed. Support is available for any member of the College community affected.”

A statement from Cambridgeshire Constabulary at 4.39pm stated : “This afternoon (8 March) we received an online report of criminal damage today to a painting at Trinity College, Cambridge.

“Officers are attending the scene to secure evidence and progress the investigation.

“No arrests have been made at this stage.”

On Saturday an update stated: “Enquiries remain ongoing to locate those responsible.”