Activist slashes painting of British author of Jewish homeland declaration

A pro-Palestinian activist vandalized a portrait of Arthur Balfour at Cambridge University, blaming the former British foreign minister's 1917 Balfour Declaration for Palestinian displacement.

The activist, affiliated with Palestine Action, was filmed smearing and slicing the painting. The statement had recognized the concept of a Jewish homeland in Palestine during the final years of Ottoman control and as Britain's influence peaked globally.

The Balfour Declaration, although historic for the Zionist movement, is seen by Palestinians as a stepping stone to their eventual loss of homeland, a fact for which they seek an apology from Britain. The British mandate over Palestine ended with the 1948 Arab-Israeli War, the founding of Israel, and the Palestinian exodus.

Palestine Action accused Britain of having no right to offer Palestinian land, terming it the beginning of "ethnic cleansing." British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak, amidst rising protest aggression and hate speech, has called for stricter protest regulations, condemning the use of such events to support Hamas—a group Britain deems terrorist.

Since October 7, Israeli forces have killed over 30,000 Palestinians in response to Hamas-led attacks, which claimed 1,200 lives in southern Israel and involved the kidnapping of 253 individuals, according to Israeli data.

In response to the incident at Trinity College Cambridge, the institution expressed regret over the damage to the portrait and offered support to its members.