London cathedral covered in 'blood art projection' in protest against Prince Harry's Afghan killing remarks

A Russian artist projected a sculpture featuring blood donated by Afghans alongside footage of Prince Harry onto London’s St Paul’s Cathedral on Wednesday. 

Andrei Molodkin said the art demonstration was a protest against the British royal’s claim he killed 25 people during his tour in Afghanistan.

Footage from the projection showed the royal coat of arms of the United Kingdom in bright red with blood-like streams flowing down the side of the 17th-century religious building. 

UK: Ahead of Coronation Day, the blood from victims of the #AfghanistanWar will be projected onto St Paul’s Cathedral. Former Soviet soldier Andrei Molodkin has been working with Afghan #refugees to fill the acrylic sculpture with blood https://t.co/SDZjxtK85i #Afghanistan pic.twitter.com/hsKjd3RYbi

— World BEYOND War (@WorldBeyondWar) March 21, 2023

"I am an anti-war artist and a former Soviet soldier. I reject Harry’s comments about killing people as though they are pieces on a chess board,” said Molodkin in an article for the Independent. 

Prince Harry recently made international headlines when he revealed in his book Spare that he didn’t think of the 25 as people, but rather as "chess pieces removed from the board". 

"Boasting about killing, whether for democracy or not, is something I do not accept…My entire artistic practice has been based on deconstructing the toxic idea of imperialism and foregrounding the politicisation of blood, oil and gas as currencies of war,” said Molokin. 

The artist reportedly collaborated with Afghans in the French town of Calais and in the UK for the sculpture. 

The Duke of Sussex, who stepped down from royal duties and left the UK with his wife Meghan Markle, was an Apache helicopter pilot during the Afghan war. 

He served for a total of ten years in the British army, rising to the rank of captain and carrying out two tours in Afghanistan. 

It is estimated that at least 51,191 Taliban fighters died in Afghanistan during the 20-year missions carried out by US, UK and allied forces, reported AP. 

Over 47,000 Afghan civilians died during these two decades; 444 aid workers and 72 journalists.