Hamas-linked symbols sprayed on smashed Melbourne monuments on Day of Mourning
Damaged historic monuments in central Melbourne were defaced with symbols associated with Hamas on Australia’s National Day of Mourning, Thursday 22 January, sparking condemnation from political leaders and the Jewish community and prompting a police investigation.
Two monuments in Flagstaff Gardens were targeted overnight, including the Pioneer Monument, erected in 1871, which was pulled down and left shattered, and the nearby Separation Monument, which was spray-painted with extremist graffiti.
Hamas symbols on smashed monuments (picture: Facebook)
Images show an inverted red triangle sprayed in red paint on and around the monuments. The symbol has been widely used in Hamas propaganda videos and online content since the October 7 attacks, often to mark Israeli or Jewish targets.
Slogans sprayed at the site included “Death to Australia”, “Land back” and “The colony will fall”. Community leaders said the combination of slogans and Hamas-linked imagery pointed to an act of ideological intimidation in the approach to Australia Day rather than random vandalism.
Philip Zajac, president of the Jewish Community Council of Victoria, said the use of Hamas symbols should be treated as a hate crime.
“This is not protest. This is the glorification of a terrorist organisation and an attempt to intimidate Australians,” Zajac said.
Dr Dvir Abramovich, chair of the Anti-Defamation Commission, said the appearance of the symbol was deeply disturbing.
“This symbol is synonymous with Hamas terror,” Dr Abramovich said. “To see it sprayed on public monuments on a day of national mourning is chilling. It is a message of hatred and menace.”
The incident occurred as Australians observed a National Day of Mourning for the 15 people killed in the Bondi Beach antisemitic terror attack, adding to the emotional weight of the vandalism.
Victorian Premier Jacinta Allan condemned the vandalism, describing it as disgraceful and offensive, while Melbourne Lord Mayor Nick Reece said the destruction of heritage monuments and the use of extremist imagery would not be tolerated, according to The Guardian.
Reece described the vandals as “idiots”.
“These are low-IQ individuals who don’t actually understand the historic significance of the monuments that they are attacking,” he told ABC News.
Victoria Police confirmed detectives have established a crime scene and are reviewing CCTV footage from the area. Police believe the damage occurred between late Wednesday night and early Thursday morning and have appealed for information.
The inverted red triangle has increasingly appeared at protests, graffiti attacks and online posts internationally since October 2023, with Jewish organisations warning it functions as a modern hate symbol linked directly to Hamas violence.
Anyone with information has been urged to contact Crime Stoppers.
