IMAGES OF A now-destroyed Banksy mural at the back of a London courthouse have been altered to make them appear to show a judge with a gavel attacking a person holding an English national flag.

The original mural showed the victim was holding up a banner, as if at a protest, that was plain except for a smattering of blood.

Pictures of the mural were shared online and later manipulated to include a Saint George’s Cross, changing the blank banner into an English flag, as well as likely changing how many people would interpret the piece’s meaning.

Alamy Stock Photo Alamy Stock Photo

In some of these altered images, a Scottish flag, or even a full Union Jack has been superimposed on the placard instead. Some social media users acknowledged that these weren’t part of the original piece, but were added later as an “improvement”.

However, the placard was blank when the mural was first spray-painted on a wall of the Royal Courts of Justice building in London on 8 September.

Photos and images taken of the mural after the police had surrounded it with barriers show that it remained blank then.

The placard in the mural was still blank on 10 September when the authorities removed the mural, leaving a ghostly after image in its place.

The mural, surrounded by barriers. Alamy Stock Photo Alamy Stock Photo

Although verified social media accounts for the artist included the image (without any flag on the placard), confirming that it was a true Banksy piece, the caption only gave the location.

The BBC noted that the mural first appeared days after 890 people were arrested in London for protesting the banning of a pro-Palestine organisation under UK terror laws.

The removal of the mural left behind a ghostly after image. Alamy / AP/Joanna Chan Alamy / AP/Joanna Chan / AP/Joanna Chan

However, this mural also coincides with a drive to raise the St George’s Cross and the Union Jack across England — a campaign that has been seen by some as purely patriotic, though far-right groups have also encouraged it.

Although there is little connection between Banksy’s original mural and that flag drive, the edited photos could be misinterpreted as a commentary on that campaign.

The Journal’s FactCheck is a signatory to the International Fact-Checking Network’s Code of Principles. You can read it here. For information on how FactCheck works, what the verdicts mean, and how you can take part, check out our Reader’s Guide here. You can read about the team of editors and reporters who work on the factchecks here.