Skip to content

Man arrested over Lloyd George statue vandalism

Ben Frampton
BBC News
BBC A statue of David Lloyd George with red graffiti saying 'coloniser' on the plinth and some spray paint on Lloyd George himself. There is a three-storey building behind the statue and the chimney is visible. It is a cloudy day.BBC
The bronze statue was created by Sir William Goscombe John

A man has been arrested after a statue of Wales' only UK Prime Minister, David Lloyd George, was vandalised.

The 38-year-old has been arrested on suspicion of criminal damage after the statue in Caernarfon, Gwynedd, was spray painted on Tuesday.

The graffiti had slogans calling for a free Palestine and branded Lloyd George a coloniser, but has since been cleaned.

North Wales Police said the man, from Penmaenmawr, Conwy county, had been released on bail while inquiries continued.

The statue, next to Caernarfon Castle, was erected in 1921 while Lloyd George, who represented the town at Westminster, was still prime minister.

A Liberal Party politician, he was the MP for Carnarvon Boroughs, as the seat was then called, from 1890 to 1945 and served as prime minister from 1916 to 1922, during World War One.

The David Lloyd George statue with black graffiti with the words 'for shame', 'don't commemorate a coloniser' and 'don't forget Welsh history' daubed on the plinth. The town high street is in the background with traffic and shops visible.
The statue has stood in Caernarfon for more than 100 years