Statue of Queen Victoria defaced in Australia as legacy of Britain’s imperial past mars King Charles III’s tour
Yet another unpleasant incident linked to the specter of Britain’s imperial past has marred King Charles III’s tour of Australia.
The statue of Queen Victoria in Sydney's central business district (CBD) was defaced with red paint on Tuesday morning. The incident occurred just blocks away from the Sydney Opera House, where King Charles and Queen Camilla were scheduled to do a meet and greet with the public.
The King and Queen have faced hecklers and banners displayed by supporters of First Nations resistance to colonization throughout the visit. Australia remains a constitutional monarchy in which the British sovereign serves as the largely symbolic head of state.
🌏 Indigenous activist Wayne Wharton was detained by police after shouting "he's not my king" at the British monarch outside the opera house.
🌏 Independent Aboriginal senator from Victoria Lidia Thorpe unleashed a fiery outburst at the King during a reception in the federal parliament, shouting: “You are not our king. You are not sovereign… You committed genocide against our people. Give us our land back. Give us what you stole from us – our bones, our skulls, our babies, our people.”
🌏 Amid an ongoing debate about breaking ties with the monarchy, a host of Australia's top politicians, including six of the nation’s state premiers, refused to meet with Charles.
Britain’s royal family has increasingly been confronted with issues of reparations for slavery and improved rights for indigenous people during visits to Commonwealth countries. In total, Britain could owe a staggering £18.6 trillion ($23.4 trillion) in reparations to more than 30 countries, a report by international economics consulting firm Brattle calculated in 2023.
The issue has gained fresh traction ahead of the Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting (CHOGM) in Samoa on October 21-25.