Elon Musk reacts to court staff covering up Banksy mural of judge beating a protester in London

Banksy, an artist whose identity has never been confirmed, painted his latest work at the Royal Courts of Justice in London.

A mural by British street artist Banksy, known for his anti-authoritarian art often showcased at public places, on the walls of the Royal Courts of Justice in London was quickly covered up, causing outrage online. People slammed the authorities for covering the mural depicting a judge beating a protester. Elon Musk has reacted to this development in a series of tweets.

Banksy painted a mural on the walls of London's High Court, which was later covered in London. (Instagram/banksy)

“Well, 1 hour after the new Banksy was revealed that was mocking the courts for censoring people, the courts censored it by covering it up… Proving his point…,” an individual wrote while sharing a picture of police officers guarding a wall covered by a makeshift arrangement.

Elon Musk reacted to the post and wrote, “The more they try to cover it up, the more it will appear.” In his reply to a separate post about the mural, the tech leader agreed with an X user who called it “extremely powerful.”

How did social media react?

“You know the system’s rigged when a painting exposes the truth… and the court’s first move is to censor the painting. Not a parody. Not a movie. This is real life 2025. Free speech ain’t free anymore — unless you’re saying what they want you to say,” an individual wrote. Another joined, “They censored a piece of art that was literally mocking censorship… and by doing so, they proved his point in real time. You can’t make this up.”

A third posted, “And just draw more publicity to it. Funny how that works.” A fourth wrote, “Arguably his (Banksy's) finest work.”

A few also mentioned the Streisand effect in their remarks, like this individual: “The Streisand effect is a social phenomenon where attempts to hide, remove, or censor information lead to increased public awareness and dissemination of that information, often facilitated by the internet."