‘Death to Australia’: City’s colonial memorials defaced on National Day of Mourning for Bondi

Vandals toppled a monument to Victoria’s early colonial settlers in the early hours of the National Day of Mourning for the Bondi massacre victims.

Police said they believed vandals used machinery to pull down the Pioneer Monument at Flagstaff Gardens some time between 10pm on Wednesday and 6am on Thursday, causing it to break into several pieces.

The words “land back” and “death to Australia” were scrawled on a broken piece of stone and on the steps of the monument, which memorialises a burial ground of early colonial settlers.

An inverted red triangle – a symbol recently linked to the Palestinian Islamist movement Hamas, and historically connected to anti-fascist and other left-wing political movements – was also sprayed on the monument.

The Separation Memorial, erected in Flagstaff Gardens in 1950 to mark the centenary of Victoria’s separation from New South Wales, was also vandalised with red paint.

“A crime scene has been established, and the investigation is ongoing,” police said.

Premier Jacinta Allan called the vandalism a disgrace.

“Even on a day about love and unity, these people can’t help but introduce hate and destruction,” she said.

“Victoria Police will investigate, and I’m asking anyone with information to contact Crime Stoppers. The groups who continue to commit these crimes must face the full force of the law.”

Opposition Leader Jess Wilson also condemned the “abhorrent act on a day our state is mourning the murder of 15 innocent people”.

“My thoughts are with the Jewish community today as we grieve, reflect and remember the victims of the Bondi massacre,” she said.

“We have laws in Australia that ban the public display of terrorist symbols,” said Naomi Levin, chief executive of the Jewish Community Council of Victoria.

“The inverted red triangle has been adopted by dangerous activists after being used by proscribed terrorist group Hamas to denote a target. While this symbol is not explicitly banned, when the perpetrators are found, this incident should be treated as hate crime, not common vandalism.”

Lord Mayor Nick Reece said additional measures are being taken to protect Melbourne statues, and that vandalism “will not – and cannot – be tolerated”.

“While there are a range of views on statues and memorials, each time a monument is damaged it’s ultimately the ratepayer footing the bill – and that is unacceptable,” Reece said.

“We can have a debate about the future of statues and memorials, but we will never tolerate or reward vandalism. Melbourne is a city of many cultures and perspectives. We urge everyone to show empathy and respect and focus on what brings us together.”

There were numerous similar acts of vandalism in previous years, targeting Melbourne monuments, statues and even trees that mark Australia’s colonial history.

A statue of Captain James Cook in St Kilda’s Catani Gardens was cut off at its ankles in 2024 and the words “the colony will fall” were spray-painted on the plinth. The same statue was doused in red paint in 2022.

Before Australia Day last year, the statue was watched by security guards. On January 24, 2025, vandals beheaded the statues of two former prime ministers and damaged 18 others at Ballarat Botanical Gardens.

On the King’s Birthday in 2024, the statue of George V in the King’s Domain was decapitated and daubed with the same anti-colonial slogan. The head of the statue has not been retrieved but has made a number of public appearances since then.

In May last year, a Fitzroy North memorial to Cook, which stood in the Edinburgh Gardens, was removed by the City of Yarra after repeated acts of vandalism.

A council report said frequent attacks, particularly around Australia Day, had caused irreparable harm to the Cook memorial and meant the council was pouring more money into the memorial’s maintenance.

The Pioneer Monument by Samuel Craven was erected at Flagstaff Gardens in 1871 to honour some of the earliest pioneers of the colony, whose remains were buried near the site.

The gardens were high ground from which the early colonists viewed incoming ships.

Anyone who witnessed the incident at Flagstaff Gardens, or has information or CCTV or dashcam footage of the area is urged to contact Crime Stoppers on 1800 333 000 or submit an online confidential report at www.crimestoppersvic.com.au.

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