Man who vandalised Churchill statue in Parliament Square found not guilty of criminal damage

A man who vandalised Sir Winston Churchill's statue in Parliament Square has been found not guilty of criminal damage.

Olax Outis, also known as Caspar San Giorgi, sprayed the sculpture with slogans including "Free Palestine", "Stop the genocide" and "Zionist war criminal" in red paint.

He also sprayed "Never again is Now", "Globalise the Intifada" and red triangles on the plinth and statue of Churchill.

He was accused of causing thousands of pounds of damage but argued it wasn't a criminal act as he was sending a message to parliament and the washable paint hadn't damaged the artwork.

The 39-year-old was cleared on Monday after a trial at Southwark Crown Court in London.

The court previously heard how he used a ladder to climb the statue just before 4am on 27 February, removing his coat to reveal a red boiler suit bearing the words "I support Palestine Action".

A heritage warden for the Greater London Authority saw him painting the slogans and alerted police.

Workers cleaned off the red paint soon after.

The protester told the court his stunt was meant to be a message for Sir Keir Starmer and parliament over the UK's position on Gaza and Palestinians.

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"If I had a larger canvas and more time, I would have written: 'If Keir Starmer doesn't come to The Hague, The Hague will come for him'" San Giorgio told the court.

He argued he hadn't damaged the 12ft statue because he knew the paint would be washed off and his actions weren't criminal as his protest was "preventing a crime".

At the time of the vandalism, Downing Street said the stunt was "completely abhorrent" and called Churchill "a great Briton".

It's not the first time the statue has been vandalised - Black Lives Matter protesters also defaced it in 2020.

(c) Sky News 2026: Man who vandalised Churchill statue in Parliament Square found not guilty of criminal damage