2 activists of Palestine Action in UK arrested after defacing Lord Balfour statue

By Beyza Binnur Donmez

ANKARA (AA) - Two women activists of the UK-based activist network Palestine Action have been arrested by police after entering the UK parliament to deface the statue of former Prime Minister Arthur Balfour.

The activists on Saturday squirted tomato ketchup onto the statue of Balfour, who was the signatory of the 1917 Balfour Declaration as then-foreign secretary.

The Balfour Declaration is a document dating back to 1917 that pledged support for the formation of a "national home for the Jewish people" in Palestine.

The activists reportedly used tourist passes to enter the members' lobby of the House of Commons.

While spraying the ketchup, which they described as fake blood, one of the activists said: "Palestinians have suffered for 105 years because of this man, Lord Balfour – he gave away their homeland and it wasn’t his to give."

The activists then glued themselves to the statue, revealed a mini Palestinian flag, and shouted "free Palestine."

They were arrested for criminal damage and taken to a London police station.