Multiple monuments in Australia defaced to protest country’s National Day
Multiple monuments in Australia defaced to protest country’s National Day
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The day is contentious as many Indigenous Australians consider it a day of mourning. Multiple historic statues were damaged in Melbourne and Canberra ahead of Australia Day celebrations on Sunday, as protests around the country showed support for Indigenous people who do not consider it a day to celebrate.
A statue of John Batman, who founded the country’s second-largest city but was also involved in the killing of Aboriginal people, was found sawed in half on Sunday morning in Melbourne. The words “Land back” were also found spray painted on a memorial for Australian soldiers who died fighting in World War I.
In Canberra, “The colony is falling” was found graffitied on a statue of King George V. Earlier this week, a statue of Captain James Cook in Sydney was found covered in red paint, with its hand and nose severed. The statue had been repaired after a similar incident last year.
Australia’s National Day on 26 January is considered a day of mourning by many Indigenous Australians, as it marks the day Captain Cook’s ship landed in Sydney Cove, triggering Australia’s colonisation by the British, all without a treaty with its Indigenous inhabitants.
Melbourne city’s mayor Nick Reece called the incidents “disrespectful,” and that the council was working with Victoria Police to find the offenders. Defacing and damaging city assets will not be tolerated in Melbourne,” he said, according to The Australian Broadcasting Corporation.
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