Police probing damage to sawed off Captain Cook statue ahead of Australia Day - The Independent

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Victoria police are investigating acts of vandalism on two statues in Melbourne, allegedly in protest of Australia Day.

The century-old Captain Cook statue in St Kilda was sawn off at the ankles, with the plinth spray-painted with the slogan “The colony will fall”, local media stated.

A statue of Queen Victoria near the city centre was also sprayed with red paint and had the same message graffitied on it.

Jacinta Allan, Victoria’s premier, told the media on Thursday that “this sort of vandalism has no place in our society”.

“We will be working with the council to repair and reinstate the statue in St Kilda that has been vandalised overnight,” she said.

John Pesutto, the opposition leader said the vandalism was “totally unacceptable. There’s no place for acts of vandalism or any other violent acts against people or property in our community”.

He continued: “We support the right of people to protest and demonstrate but it must always be done in a peaceful and respectful way.”

Captain Cook is a controversial figure for his role in the colonisation of the indigenous lands and the negative impact on their cultures, leading to displacement and mistreatment of indigenous communities.

The Captain Cook statue has a history of being vandalised. In 2018, the statue was vandalised and coated with pink paint. Beneath the feet, the words “no pride” were painted, along with the Aboriginal flag.

Heather Cunsolo, Port Phillip council mayor, said she was “disappointed by the vandalism”.

“We understand and acknowledge the complex and diverse views surrounding Australia Day,” she said. “We can’t condone, however, the vandalism of a public asset where costs will be ultimately borne by ratepayers.”

Australia Day, observed annually on 26 January, commemorates the arrival of 11 British ships carrying a human cargo of convicts in 1788, marking the beginning of British settlement in present-day Sydney. However, controversy surrounds the day as indigenous activists refer to it as “Invasion Day”.

During a 2018 speech, titled Monuments and Memories: re-assessing colonial imperialism at the Australian Heritage Festival, historian Lisa Murray said that she disagreed with the then-prime minister, Malcolm Turnbull’s denunciation of vandalism.

“This act is not obliterating Australia’s history,” she said. “It is part of a growing public consciousness to recognise Australia’s history and to point out the complexity of our past.”

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2024-01-25 08:04:48Z
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