Two pro-Palestine activists have been found guilty of criminal damage after targeting Pablo Picasso's painting "Motherhood" during a protest at the National Gallery in London. The verdict marks the latest in a series of prosecutions involving activists who have used high-profile artworks to draw attention to the situation in Gaza, a tactic that has sparked debate about the boundaries of legitimate protest and the protection of cultural heritage.

The protest formed part of a wider pattern of demonstrations targeting artworks in British galleries and museums, with campaigners seeking to leverage the publicity generated by attacks on famous paintings to highlight their cause. Following the guilty verdict, the activists now face sentencing, with the case likely to be cited in ongoing discussions about how galleries and the courts should respond to activism that risks damaging works of major cultural and monetary value.