Radical pro-Palestinian activists have defaced a historic British painting depicting Sir Arthur James Balfour at Cambridge University due to its association with the formal establishment of the Jewish state of Israel.
Police have launched an investigation after activists from the extremist activist group Palestine Action vandalized a 1914 portrait of Lord Balfour at Trinity College, Cambridge University on Friday. Activists slashed at the painting with knives and threw red paint at it.
Cambridgeshire Police spokesperson Said BBC: “This afternoon we received an online report of criminal damage to paintings at Trinity College, Cambridge.
“Officers are at the scene to secure evidence and proceed with the investigation. No arrests have been made at this stage.”
A Trinity College spokesperson added: “Trinity College regrets the damage caused to the portrait of Arthur James Balfour during public opening hours. Police have been notified. Support is available to all members of the university community.”
A group called Palestine Action said in a statement that it was apparently responsible for the vandalism. statement: “Palestinian action has ruined a 1914 painting by Philippe Alexius de Lászlo in Trinity College, Cambridge, of Sir Arthur James Balfour, colonial administrator and signatory of the Balfour Declaration. Ta.”
“Activists tore up the homage and sprayed the artwork with red paint, symbolizing the bloodshed for Palestinians since the Balfour Declaration of 1917,” the group added.
#breaking news – Pro-Palestinian protesters deface and slash a historic 1914 painting of Lord Balfour at Trinity College, Cambridge University. A horrifying scene I saw at my alma mater. pic.twitter.com/uoAgZSzFwM
— Jonathan Haroun (@JonathanHaroun1) March 8, 2024
The Balfour Declaration marked the first time that a world power supported the formal establishment of a “national homeland for the Jewish people” in their ancestral homeland, which was under Ottoman rule at the time the Balfour Declaration was signed. Ta.
Although not a binding document, the Balfour Declaration has long been a point of contention for pro-Palestinian activists because it laid the groundwork for the formal creation of the state of Israel after Britain took control of the region after World War I. It’s here.
The incident comes as Middle East issues have taken center stage in British politics and there is growing concern about intimidation of British politicians by Islamist and far-left groups, which have been protesting on British streets almost every week since Hamas. woke up. The October 7 terrorist attack killed around 1,200 people in Israel and took hundreds more prisoners.
Lord Walney, the government’s independent adviser on political violence and disorder, said earlier this month that an “unholy alliance” was forming between Britain’s far left and Islamic extremists, warning MPs of pressure from radical groups. He urged them not to give up.
Mr Walney said in response to the vandalism of Lord Balfour’s portrait on Friday. Said: “This is outrageous. We believe protesters can get away with senseless harm because they think the importance of the cause gives them the moral high ground to cause mayhem.” A number of recent judicial decisions raise questions in this regard.”
WATCH: Palestinian activists ‘storm and occupy’ Israeli defense factory in UK https://t.co/oioL7dbqXq
— Breitbart London (@BreitbartLondon) June 22, 2021
