A statue of Captain Cook was covered in red paint and broken just two days before Australia Day celebrations began.
The monument to famous British explorer James Cook sits in the Sydney suburb of Randwick and was vandalized ahead of large anti-colonial protests expected over the weekend.
Local officers from Eastern Beaches Police Area Command responded to reports of a damaged and graffiti-covered statue at around 8.15am on Friday.
They seized ‘various items’ at the statue and established a crime scene that would be forensically examined.
It is the second time in 12 months that the statue has been a target for destruction.
Statues of colonial figures have become common targets ahead of Australia Day on January 26, a date that marks the arrival of European settlers in Sydney Harbor in 1788.
Thousands of protesters typically hold mass demonstrations around the holidays, denouncing the historic plight of Australia’s indigenous people at the hands of colonial masters.
The sandstone cook statue in Sydney’s east was smashed with red paint and her hand and nose were broken, local mayor Dylan Parker said.
A statue of Captain James Cook is covered in red paint after being vandalized, in Randwick, Sydney

It is the second time in 12 months that the statue has been the target of vandalism

Images show the sandstone statue soaked in red paint with its nose and hand smashed
Parker said the same statue of Cook, who claimed Australia’s east coast for Britain in 1770, was attacked in February last year.
It was covered in red paint and had parts of its sandstone damaged, with work to repair and restore it completed a month later.
Local politician Andrew Hay said the vandals were “lowlifes” looking to make a “political point”.
Dr Carolyn Martin, a Liberal councilor in Randwick, said the statue was left an “absolute mess” and council ratepayers would have to pick up the bill for repairs.
“I’m here with a council worker who looked after it last time when it was damaged, and just to restore it is a huge effort and expense,” Martin told 2GB Radio on Friday.
“But that aside… we are all horrified.”
The local council in Randwick also criticized the vandalism as “a disservice to the community and a disservice to reconciliation”.
But Philipa Veitch, a Randwick Greens councillor, said in a statement that the statue was “a painful reminder of the devastating impacts of colonisation, which continues to this day”.

Captain Cook claimed the east coast of Australia for Britain in 1770
“It’s time to look at other options, including placing it in a museum,” he said. “I’m sure there are many local artists who could be commissioned to create much more appropriate and inclusive work.”
There are several statues of Captain Cook in Australia, and others have also been vandalized on or around January 26.
Last year, a statue of Captain Cook was cut down on the eve of the holiday, while its plinth was spray-painted with the words ‘The Colony Will Fall.’
Two years earlier, the same Melbourne statue was covered in red paint, while in 2018 it was splattered with graffiti reading ‘No Pride’ and had an Aboriginal flag placed next to it.
Police have asked anyone with information, CCTV or Dashcam of the incident to contact Crime Stoppers.
They have also encouraged people to report ‘any suspicious behaviour’ around monuments and other significant sites over the long weekend.
Thousands are expected to gather at protests in Sydney and Melbourne for Australia Day on Sunday, drawing attention to the many difficulties indigenous Australians still face.
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