Vandals have burned the decapitated head of a King George V statue on a barbecue during an Australia Day protest in Melbourne, footage has revealed.
The head, which had been missing since June 2023, appeared in a video posted on Instagram by activist groups Whistleblowers, Activists and Communities Alliance and Disrupt Wars.
The footage showed the royal statue's head ablaze on a barbecue with an Australian flag in the background.
The activists posted the video with the caption "Cooking with king" alongside hashtags including "#invasionday" and "#notourking".
Vandals have burned the decapitated head of a King George V statue on a barbecue during an Australia Day protest in Melbourne, footage has revealed
A note accompanying the video, sent anonymously to Disrupt Wars, declared: "We will BBQ a monarch every year on January 26 until Australia (Day) is abolished #NotMyKing the colony will fall."
The statue is located in Kings Domain on Linlithgow Avenue, Melbourne, where it was initially decapitated during the King's Birthday holiday on 10 June.
At the time of the vandalism, police reported that the head had been removed and red paint thrown at the monument.
Melbourne's Lord Mayor Nick Reece said the city was working with police to locate the missing head.
The headless statue of King George V remains standing in Kings Domain whilst authorities continue their investigation
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Reece said: "The damage to the King George V statue was extensive, and it is not a simple restoration. Ways to restore this statue are still being investigated."
He added that such vandalism costs ratepayers, as specialists must be engaged to restore damaged monuments.
The headless statue of King George V remains standing in Kings Domain whilst authorities continue their investigation.
This latest incident follows a series of statue attacks in Victoria, including a recent vandalism at Ballarat Botanical Gardens.
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King George V has a statue outside the Houses of Parliament in Westminster
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A masked vandal later posed with Keating's decapitated head while kneeling on Rudd's bust, holding a sledgehammer and standing on the Australian flag.
The perpetrator shared a message stating: "Victoria Police say return the heads? We say return the land to its rightful owners! The colony is falling."
Police are seeking four individuals seen in a silver ute captured on CCTV in connection with the incident.
