The vandalism unfolded in Sydney, Melbourne and Canberra. Australia Day is a divisive holiday that critics see as a symbol of racism and oppression.

A statue of Captain James Cook in Sydney’s eastern suburbs has been splashed with red paint and its hand removed days before Australians celebrate their controversial “Australia Day” on Sunday. New South Wales police said it received reports of a vandalised statue in Sydney’s Eastern Beaches at Randwick on Friday morning and that officers had seized “a number of items” at the scene.

Australian police are investigating after a statue of Captain James Cook was covered in red paint and disfigured, ahead of the Australia Day weekend. It is the second time in 12 months that the statue in Sydney has been vandalised.

Two historic statues were damaged in Melbourne ahead of Australia Day celebrations on Sunday where tens of thousands across the country are expected to join protests in support of Aboriginal people who say the date is not one to celebrate.

Two historic statues were damaged in Melbourne ahead of Australia Day protests. One of John Batman, linked to Indigenous killings, was sawn in half. A monument for WWI soldiers was defaced with 'land back.

Tens of thousands of Australians protested over the treatment of Indigenous people on Sunday as the country celebrated a national holiday marking the 1788 arrival of British colonisers.

SYDNEY - 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,

Two historic statues were damaged in Melbourne ahead of Australia Day celebrations on Sunday, with tens of thousands of people across the country joining protests in support of Aboriginal groups who say the date is not one to cheer.