Statues of Queen Victoria and Captain Cook vandalised in Melbourne on eve of Australia Day

Statues of British colonial figures, Captain James Cook and Queen Victoria have been damaged in Melbourne, on the eve of January 26, celebrated as Australia Day. The Victoria Police have launched an investigation to nab the culprits responsible for the vandalism.

Captain Cook's statue was reported felled near Jacka Boulevard, cut off at the shins and sprayed with the words: "The colony will fall."

Meanwhile, former monarch Queen Victoria's statue was smeared with red paint.

Victorian premier, Jacinta Allan condemned the attack and said this sort of "vandalism" did not have a place in Australian society.

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

Opposition leaderJohn Pesutto also stood in Allan's corner and called the incident "unacceptable".

“There’s no place for acts of vandalism or any other violent acts against people or property in our community.We support the right of people to protest and demonstrate but it must always be done in a peaceful and respectful way."

Notably, this is not the first instance when the Captain Cook statue has been vandalised on the eve of Australia Day. In 2018, pink paint was dumped on the statue.

Australia Day and controversy

Every year since 1994, January 26 is celebrated as Australia Day. For most Australians, it is an official holiday and an opportunity to go to the beach, enjoy a summer Test match and have fun.

However, the choice of date coincides with the arrival of theEuropean settlers at Sydney Harbour in 1788. For some, the date marks the start of a violent colonial campaign that nearly erased the Aboriginals from their native lands.

Earlier this week, the Australian men's cricket team captain called for a change to the date of Australia Day and backed the decision to not use the event for the marketing of the Brisbane Test.

“We should have an Australia Day, but we can probably find a more appropriate day to celebrate it. Once you start realising Jan 26 and why it is chosen, Australia Day is meant to be a celebration of everything Australia and our history. [So] we could choose a better date," said Cummins.

Cricket Australiadropped the term “Australia Day” from marketing in 2021, when some Big Bash League teams wore Indigenous strips for games played on 26 January.

(With inputs from agencies)