For King Charles' Birthday Honors, a Beheaded Statue

Monument in Australian city of Melbourne is now headless on King's Birthday holiday after vandalism
By Jenn Gidman,  Newser Staff
Posted Jun 10, 2024 9:07 AM CDT

King Charles III was born in November, but on the second Monday of June, many states in Australia celebrate King's Birthday to pay tribute to the monarch's arrival on Earth. The celebration in Melbourne, however, got off to a bit of a dark start, after someone vandalized a statue of King George V in the Kings Domain parklands, reports the Guardian. "It appears the head of the statue has been removed and red paint thrown at the monument," a local police rep says in a Monday statement.

9News Australia has video of the headless monument, which can be seen doused in red. The Australian Broadcasting Corporation reports a video is circulating online that shows an individual sporting a high-visibility work jacket and headlamp cutting the head off the statue. A person wearing a dark hoodie is then shown spray-painting the statue. The Guardian notes that statues of Queen Victoria and Captain James Cook have also been vandalized in recent months, including two that were cut off at the ankles. Police are seeking the public's help on the King George monument. (More King George V stories.)

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