Windrush portraits not racially targeted – police

A man who was detained by police after a Windrush exhibition was vandalised has been arrested on suspicion of racially aggravated criminal damage - although police say they do not believe the incident was racially motivated.

He was first arrested on Saturday on suspicion of vandalism, two days after the mural in Brixton's Windrush Square was defaced, then taken to hospital over concerns for his welfare.

Upon returning to custody, he was arrested on suspicion of racially aggravated criminal damage and possessing articles with intent to destroy or damage property. He was bailed pending further inquiries.

A community group previously said the "distressing" vandalism was driven by "racial hatred".

The BBC understands the incident may be mental health-related.

Friends of Windrush Square said on Thursday that the vandalism was "not only an attack on public art but a blatant act of racial hatred directed at a community that has given so much to the life and spirit of the UK".

Det Ch Supt Emma Bond said: "We absolutely recognise the concern this matter has caused and that the community perceives this to be a hate crime.

"While the evidence does not support this act being racially motivated, our priority is to ensure the victims and wider community feel heard and supported as they navigate this painful and shocking act of vandalism."

She said local officers remained in contact with exhibition organisers.

The exhibition features 20 portraits and first-hand accounts of people who arrived in the UK from the Caribbean between the late 1940s and 1970s.

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