A Captain Cook statue in Sydney has been covered in red paint and damaged as tensions rise ahead of Australia Day on Sunday.
The statue, which sits on Belmore Road in Randwick, had its hand ripped off in the attack and parts of its face destroyed.
The attack has been condemed by Randwick councilor Andrew Hay.
‘The Captain Cook Statue has been vandalised again,’ he said in a statement.
‘They’ve broken the sandstone and cut off his hand and nose.
‘Low lives in Randwick know no bounds, or have any reverence for great people of history, and will vandalise him to make a political point that he’s not directly related to.’
Randwick mayor Dylan Parker also called out the vandalism.
A Captain Cook statue in Sydney has been covered in red paint and damaged as tensions rise ahead of Australia Day
‘Vandalism has no place in public discussion,’ he said.
‘Vandalism is an illegal act that does a disservice to progressing your cause, a disservice to the community and a disservice to reconciliation.
‘Council will clean and restore the statue.
‘The statue was cleaned and restored last year after a similar incident in February 2024.’
In 2020, the statue was defaced with black spray paint, which was used to write the phrase ‘no pride in genocide’ and to draw the outline of the Aboriginal flag on the monument.
Australia Day, observed each year on January 26, marks the landing of the First Fleet in 1788 when the first governor of the British colony of New South Wales, Arthur Philip, hoisted the Union Jack at Sydney Cove.
But for many First Nations people, it is regarded as ‘Invasion Day’ or the ‘Day of Mourning’ because it marks the beginning of Australia’s colonisation.
