Queen Victoria statue attacked with red paint hours before King Charles and Queen Camilla tour

An iconic statue of Queen Victoria in central Sydney has been defaced with red paint, just hours before the King and Queen tour the city.

Charles and Camilla are set to do a meet and greet with the public outside the Sydney Opera House, a few blocks away from the defaced statue.

Police surrounded the statue outside the Queen Victoria Building in the city’s central business district, after red paint was thrown over the base of the statue.

The incident comes just a day after Aboriginal Australian Senator Lidia Thorpe subjected the King and Queen to a verbal assault at Parliament House in the nation's capital, Canberra.

The King and Queen have vowed to continue their Aussie visit "undeterred" despite the ugly scenes which have been widely condemned across the political spectrum.

Dressed in indigenous dress and waving a piece of paper, she approached the stage in front of dumbfounded MPs and guests, shouting “You are not my King”.

As security scrambled to remove her from the building she screamed: “You committed genocide against our people. Give us our land back, give us back what you stole from us. Our bones, our skulls, our babies, our people.
“You destroyed our lands, give us a treaty, we want a treaty in the country, you are a genocidalist (SIC).”

Prime Minister Anthony Albanese, a known republican, said Senator Thorpe’s display was “disrespectful” and fell short of the standard of behaviour for MPs.

In Sydney on Tuesday the royals will visit the National Centre of Indigenous Excellence in the city, an engagement that was planned months ago for the royals last full day in the country.

Palace sources said the King and Queen had enjoyed their visit to , where the monarch has paused his cancer treatment to be able to fly Down Under.

Aunty Violet Sheridan, a senior Ngunnawal Elder who formally welcomed Charles and Camilla to her ancestral lands when they entered Parliament House, said the senator did not speak for her.

She said: "We are all so disappointed by it. To have that in the Great Hall - disgusting. I am so upset about her. He has waited so long to be king, he has rehearsed for it all his life. He is our king, our sovereign and he has got cancer."

A palace source said: "The King and Queen have been deeply touched by seeing and hearing from the very many thousands of people who have turned up in Sydney and Canberra to see them.

"The warmth and scale of the reception was truly awesome."

New said: "About 5.30am today (Tuesday 22 October 2024), 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."