Queen Victoria statue vandalised amid republican protests during King’s Australia tour

Vandals have thrown red paint over a statue of Queen Victoria in Sydney hours after the King heard a political protester shouting “f--- the colony” in Parliament.

The statue at the Queen Victoria Building was seen with bursts of red paint over its plinth on Tuesday morning, the fifth day of the King and Queen’s historic tour of Australia.

As crowds waited for a glimpse of the royal couple outside the Sydney Opera House, police arrested prominent Indigenous activist Wayne Wharton after he shouted anti-monarchist slogans and refused a police order to move on.

The King and Queen have faced low-key demonstrations during their tour of Australia, which began on Monday, from around a dozen protesters who have attended a number of events with a banner reading “decolonise”.

Credit: BBC News

On Monday, an event at Parliament House in Canberra, where the King delivered a major speech, was disrupted by senator Lidia Thorpe when she shouted “you are not my King” from the Great Hall floor.

Her comments were described as “disrespectful” by Anthony Albanese, the republican prime minister of Australia who was in attendance at the event, and Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer, who called the King an “incredible ambassador”.

Responding to the statue vandalism, a spokesman for New South Wales Police said: “About 5.30am today [Oct 22], police were called to Queen Victoria Building, Market Street, Sydney CBD, following reports a statue had been vandalised.

“Officers attached to Sydney City Police Area Command have established a crime scene and an investigation has commenced.

“As inquiries continue, anyone with information about this incident is urged to contact Crime Stoppers on 1800 333 000.”

Ms Thorpe, who wore a possum skin coat and carried a traditional message stick at Parliament House, shouted: “You are not our King, you are not sovereign… you have committed genocide against our people.

“Give us our land back. Give us what you stole from us … Our babies, our people. You destroyed our land.”

As she was ushered from the building’s hall, she screamed: “Give us a treaty – we want a treaty with this country… This is not your land, this is not your land, you are not my king, you are not our king.”

The King was said to be “unruffled” afterwards and hoped the outburst would not overshadow an otherwise “wonderful day”.

Sir Keir, asked about the protest back in the UK, said: “I think the King is doing a fantastic job, an incredible ambassador, not just for our country but across the Commonwealth.”

Ms Thorpe’s actions were roundly criticised by Australian public figures.

Eric Abetz, the former Tasmanian senator, told the Australian Daily Telegraph: “The senator would love to make herself a martyr on the back of her bad behaviour and I personally would deny her that pleasure.”

“To show such utter disrespect to King Charles, who has travelled to Australia despite ongoing cancer treatment, is disgusting,” said senator Ralph Babet, of the United Australia Party.

“Senator Thorpe has disgraced not only herself and the Australian Parliament, but every Australian man, woman and child,” he continued.

Nova Peris, the former senator and first Aboriginal woman in the Australian Parliament, issued a statement on social media describing Ms Thorpe’s outburst as “both embarrassing and disrespectful to our nation and the Royal family” as well as “unconstructive” and “confrontational”.

“I would like to extend my sincere apologies to King Charles III and Queen Camilla on behalf of all those who value mutual respect and the dignity of our nation,” she said.

Prof Marcia Langton, a leading Indigenous academic, called the episode “embarrassing and shameful”.

“I believe they are owed an apology,” she told The Australian newspaper. “It saddens me that this visit to Australia has been marred in this way.”

Aunty Violet Sheridan, a senior Ngunnawal elder that conducted a “Welcome to Country” ceremony at the event, condemned the scene as “disrespectful and rude”.

Australian breakfast television summarised the day for its viewers with the words: “From being sneezed on by an alpaca and shouted at by a senator, it was a day the King and Queen won’t forget.”

On Tuesday, the King began the day at the National Centre for Indigenous Excellence, where he took part in a traditional smoking ceremony and met community groups.

He proceeded to a King’s Trust building project and King’s Foundation Australia event, as well as meeting with cancer research pioneers at the Melanoma Institute.

The King and Queen then joined a community barbecue in Sydney, where chefs prepared sausage “sangas” for the royal lunch, before a walkabout at the Sydney Opera House.