Croydon bank windows smashed by pro-Palestine protesters

A bank was defaced by pro-Palestine protests in the early hours of yesterday morning.

The Barclays branch in North End, Croydon, had its windows smashed with a pro-Palestine message sprayed onto the building’s front.

Cops were called at around 1.45am to reports of criminal damage. By the time officers arrived, the suspects had fled the area.

No arrests have been made and an investigation is ongoing.

A  Met  spokesman said: “We will not tolerate people causing criminal damage to buildings under the guise of protest.”

Photos circulating on social media show the aftermath of the damage, with the front doors shattered and the ‘Barclays’ logo face-down.

Across other windows protesters had sprayed “free Palestine, stop funding Elbit”. Elbit Sytems is an Israel-based defence contractor.

A Barclays spokesman said: “We apologise for any inconvenience caused by today’s temporary closure of our Croydon branch. We are working hard to get the branch open as soon as we possibly can.

“The safety of our customers, colleagues and local community is our priority and we would ask that those expressing their views stop short of criminal damage to our facilities, which puts people’s safety at risk.”

(Picture: PxHere)