King’s decapitated head burnt on a BBQ in wild protest against Australia Day after statue was vandalised

By PADRAIG COLLINS FOR DAILY MAIL AUSTRALIA

Published: 04:19 GMT, 19 February 2025 | Updated: 04:36 GMT, 19 February 2025

Vandals have burnt the decapitated head of a statue of King George V in a protest against the monarchy on Australia Day.

The statue, which is in the Kings Domain on Linlithgow Avenue, Melbourne, was decapitated on the King’s Birthday holiday last June 10 by criminals who dedicated the attack to King Charles.

The head has been missing since then, but footage of it alight on an Australia Day barbecue with an Aussie flag behind it has now been posted on Instagram.

The video was posted by two activist groups – Whistleblowers, Activists and Communities Alliance and Disrupt Wars – along with a post saying ‘Cooking with king. Hot tips for roasting #invasionday #notourking #cooking #cookingwithlove.’

A spokesperson for Disrupt Wars told The Age the video was sent to the group anonymously. 

It came with a note which read: ‘We will BBQ a monarch every year on January 26 until Australia (Day) is abolished #NotMyKing the colony will fall.’

At the time of its decapitation, a police spokesperson said: ‘It appears the head of the statue has been removed and red paint thrown at the monument.’

Melbourne’s Lord Mayor Nick Reece said the council was working with police to find the missing head and that it costs ratepayers whenever a monument is damaged. 

Vandals have burnt the decapitated head of a statue of King George V (pictured) in a sick protest against the monarchy

The statue of King George (pictured), without its head, is still standing in Kings Domain

‘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.

‘When a monument is damaged, we engage specialists to restore them and lend our support to Victoria Police – valuable council resources that could be better used to deliver for our community.’

The latest decapitation scandal follows a masked vandal issuing a chilling message while holding the stolen, severed head from a statue of a former Australian prime minister – while kneeling on the bust of another. 

As well as holding the decapitated statue head of Paul Keating and kneeling on Kevin Rudd, the thief, who was dressed entirely in black – held a sledgehammer in their right hand and had a foot on the Australian flag. 

A caption with the photo read: ‘Victoria Police say return the heads? We say return the land to its rightful owners! The colony is falling.’

At the time of its decapitation, a police spokesperson said ‘It appears the head of the statue has been removed and red paint thrown at the monument’ 

The two former Labor prime ministers’ statues were among the 20 bronze busts that were damaged in the Ballarat Botanical Gardens in Victoria in the early hours of January 23.

Of the other 18 statues – which are also of former prime ministers – name plates were covered in paint, with the damage bill estimated to be $140,000.

The stolen heads of Mr Keating and Mr Rudd are valued at around $50,000 each.

The incident was part of what has become an annual show of criminality in the lead up to Australia Day on January 26, often targeting statues of Captain Cook.

Police say an angle grinder was used to remove the busts of the two former leaders, and they want to talk to four people seen in a silver ute that was caught on CCTV.

The statue of King George, without its head, is still standing in Kings Domain.

Daily Mail Australia has contacted Disrupt Wars and the Whistleblowers, Activists and Communities Alliance for further comment.

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King’s decapitated head burnt on a BBQ in wild protest against Australia Day after statue was vandalised

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