Police have launched an investigation after seven statues were daubed with graffiti before thousands of trans rights protesters marched through central London.
The Metropolitan said its officers were in Parliament Square at the time, but did not witness the “criminal damage” take place.
The area was densely populated with thousands of supporters who gathered for what was billed as an “emergency demonstration” days after a Supreme Court ruling on the definition of a woman.
“Fag rights” and a heart were painted on the banner held by suffragette Millicent Fawcett, and “trans rights are human rights” was sprayed on the pedestal bearing a memorial to South African military leader and statesman Jan Christian Smuts.
The square is home to 12 statues of political figures including Winston Churchill, Abraham Lincoln and Mahatma Gandhi.
No arrests have been made, but officers are investigating, Scotland Yard said.
Chief Superintendent Stuart Bell, who was leading the policing operation for the protest, said: “It is very disappointing to see damage to seven statues and property in the vicinity of the protest today.
“We support the public’s right to protest but criminality like this is completely unacceptable.
“We are now investigating this criminal damage and urge anyone with any information to come forward.”
Activists at the demonstration demanded “trans liberation” and “trans rights now”, with some waving flags and holding banners as they marched towards St James’s Park.
In a long-awaited judgment delivered on Wednesday, the UK’s highest court confirmed the terms “woman” and “sex” in the 2010 Equality Act “refer to a biological woman and biological sex”.
This means transgender women with a gender recognition certificate can be excluded from single-sex spaces if “proportionate”.
The Government said the unanimous decision by five judges brought “clarity and confidence” for women and service providers, while a Labour Party source said Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer had brought the party to a “common sense position” on the subject from an “activist” stance.
The ruling means trans women cannot use single-sex female toilets, changing rooms or compete in women’s sports, according to the head of Britain’s equalities watchdog.
Among the groups supporting the London protest are Trans Kids Deserve Better, Pride in Labour, the Front for the Liberation of Intersex Non-binary and Transgender people (Flint) and TransActual.
A rally and march organised by Resisting Transphobia is also taking place in Edinburgh on Saturday afternoon.
Avery Greatorex, co-chair of Pride in Labour, told the PA news agency: “Not a single trans person or trans organisation was represented in that case, and so we weren’t given an opportunity to have a seat at the table, which is obviously a very concerning thing for our community when decisions are being made without us.
“So the protest was organised to put pressure on the Government, on the public to act.
“To be able to secure the rights of transgender people and to secure those protections, we need legislative power and we need lobbying power.”
A spokesperson for Trans Kids Deserve Better said: “The transmisogyny that led to this court ruling is unacceptable.
“Though this ruling has brought another wave of fear to the trans community, we will continue to fight for our rights and freedoms.
“When you attack trans women you attack all trans people and all women. Our rights do not oppose each other, they go hand in hand, and we will keep fighting until we’re all free.”
