A police spokeswoman said: "Police were called to the National Gallery, Westminster, following reports that Youth Demand activists were trying to cause damage to a painting. Officers arrested two people on suspicion of criminal damage, both of which are in custody. There was no damage reported. The room in the gallery remains closed whilst enquiries are ongoing."
Jai Halai, a 23-year-old NHS worker from London who took part in the anti-arms sales protest said: "I'm taking action with Youth Demand because at this point it's been over one year of seeing my colleagues in the healthcare field decimated. Decimated by bombs, by bullets and by having to operate, with no medical equipment, on starved children. Direct action is what gave us our rights and is the only way to move us towards proper justice."
The photograph used to cover the Picasso work was taken by the Palestinian journalist Ali Jadallah and shows a distressed and bloodied pair, coated in debris. The image's caption reads: "A mom holds [her] injured child after an Israeli attack, as Israeli air strikes continue to impact vulnerable civilians in Gaza."
Another activist was also filmed sitting beneath the painting, having poured red paint across the gallery's floor. A National Gallery spokesperson has since confirmed that the work was not damaged.
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