A pro-Hamas activist’s 11-second vandalism spree at Cambridge University will cost taxpayers at least £24,000 to repair.
Freedom of Information requests obtained by the BBC show correspondence between Trinity College and its insurance broker detailing the extensive damage caused when a Palestine Action member spray-painted and slashed a portrait of Lord Balfour on March 8, 2024.
Video footage posted by the group shows a woman first spraying red paint across the face of the historic painting, then using a box cutter to repeatedly slash the canvas. Within seconds, Philip Alexius de László’s portrait was sliced through to its wooden frame, the canvas reduced to flaps in some places.
Arthur James Balfour, 1st Earl of Balfour, was a towering figure in British politics who served as Prime Minister from 1902 to 1905 before becoming foreign secretary under David Lloyd George. A Trinity College graduate himself, Balfour was known for his intellectual approach to politics and his role in shaping early 20th-century British foreign policy.
In November 1917, while serving as foreign secretary, Balfour issued what became known as the Balfour Declaration – a 67-word letter to Lionel Walter Rothschild, a prominent British Zionist. The letter pledged Britain’s support for establishing “in Palestine a national home for the Jewish people” while stating that “nothing shall be done which may prejudice the civil and religious rights of existing non-Jewish communities in Palestine.”
This declaration became the foundation for British policy in the Middle East and helped pave the way for the eventual creation of Israel in 1948. However, extremist groups view Balfour’s declaration as the “original sin” that led to Palestinian displacement.
Trinity College commissioned the 1914 portrait through public subscription and donations, displaying it prominently in the library stairwell where generations of students would see it. The painting showed Balfour in Trinity’s traditional red doctoral gown, capturing him at age 66 during the height of his political influence.
Despite possessing both the self-incriminating video and CCTV footage from Trinity College library, Cambridgeshire Police confirmed last March that they would be taking no further action, having failed to identify the suspect entering the college grounds.
The damaged portrait remains under restoration at an undisclosed Cambridge location. Art experts estimate similar works by the renowned Anglo-Hungarian portraitist are worth £60,000 or more, making the £24,000 repair cost roughly 40% of the painting’s total value. Trinity College maintains they “continue to condemn this act of vandalism in the strongest terms” and will cooperate with police if new evidence emerges.
Founded in July 2020, Palestine Action describes itself as a “direct action network dismantling British complicity with Israeli apartheid.” Since its launch, members have carried out hundreds of protests targeting companies they claim profit from Israeli military operations, particularly arms manufacturer Elbit Systems.
Parliament voted 385-26 in July to ban the group, making Palestine Action the first direct-action organization in British history designated as a terrorist organization. Membership now carries penalties of up to 14 years in prison, with similar sentences for expressing support or wearing Palestine Action clothing.
Since the ban took effect, over 100 people have been arrested under terrorism laws.
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