The ‘fuck the king’ row took a new twist on Wednesday night when someone spray-painted the words on the front of the palace on Amsterdam’s Dam square.

The graffiti is likely to be a reaction to the decision by the public prosecution department to take activist Abulkasim al-Jaberi to court for the crime of lèse-majesté, or offending the dignity of the monarch.

Al-Jaberi was arrested at a demonstration against Zwarte Piet last November for shouting ‘fuck the king, fuck the queen and fuck the monarchy’.

The public prosecution department is taking him to court because he has refused to pay a fine of €500 for the offence. The decision has caused a storm of protest and raised questions about the right to free speech.

No damage

A spokesman for the government’s buildings’ department said on Thursday afternoon the graffiti incident had captured on surveillance camera but declined to say how many people were involved.

However, the department will not be pressing charges because there is no permanent damage to the building, the spokesman said.

The palace was originally built as the city hall but was taken over by Louis Napoleon when he was proclaimed king in 1806 and has remained in royal hands ever since.

It is now used to host receptions and parties.

Het Paleis op de Dam is beklad met de tekst ‘Fuck de koning’: http://t.co/XDaNHx04GP pic.twitter.com/KmVChkBlGH

— NOS (@NOS) May 7, 2015