Published by Global Banking & Finance Review®
Posted on January 24, 2025
2 min readLast updated: January 27, 2026
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A statue of Captain Cook in Sydney was vandalized ahead of Australia Day, sparking debate over the holiday's significance for Indigenous Australians.
SYDNEY (Reuters) - A statue in Sydney of British explorer James Cook, captain of the first Western ship to reach the east coast of Australia, was sprayed with red paint and damaged two days before Australia's national day, authorities said on Friday.
It was the second time the statue has been defaced and vandalised in the last year. Police said that they had begun an investigation and that several items had been found near the statue.
Local councillor Carolyn Martin said the vandals may have scaled a fence around the statue using a ladder, which they left behind.
"It's an absolute mess," Martin told radio station 2GB. "They have splattered paint all over it, then they have managed to get to the top of the statue and they've knocked his hand off and also part of his face and nose."
For many Indigenous Australians, who trace their lineage on the continent back 50,000 years and make up about 4% of the country's population of 27 million, the Australia Day holiday is known as Invasion Day, symbolising the destruction of their cultures by European settlers.
Many Indigenous groups want Australia to drop celebrations or move the date, which marks the anniversary of the arrival of the British First Fleet in 1788.
Every year on Jan. 26, protesters rally against the mistreatment of Indigenous people, who are by most socio-economic measures the most disadvantaged people in the country.
A survey by the Sydney Morning Herald newspaper on Friday showed the support to keep Jan. 26 as Australia's national day surged to 61% from 47% over the past two years, signalling a shift in voters' sentiment.
(Reporting by Renju Jose in Sydney; Editing by Gerry Doyle)
The article discusses the vandalism of Captain Cook's statue in Sydney and its implications for Australia Day.
The statue represents British explorer James Cook, whose arrival is linked to European settlement in Australia.
Invasion Day is a term used by Indigenous Australians to describe Australia Day, marking the start of European colonization.
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