Captain Cook statue sawn off and Queen Victoria monument defaced in Melbourne on eve of 26 January

Victoria police are investigating “criminal damage” to a century-old Captain Cook statue in St Kilda in an apparent protest over the Australia Day public holiday.

Another statue, of Queen Victoria near the Melbourne city centre, was doused in red paint.

Police said members of the public reported that the Captain Cook memorial near Jacka Boulevard had been vandalised about 3.30am on Thursday morning.

Officers said they understood the statue had been sawn off at the ankles. The plinth had been spray-painted with the slogan: “The colony will fall.”

Several people were seen loitering in the area around the time, police said.

The vandalised Queen Victoria monument in Melbourne. Photograph: Diego Fedele/AAP

According to the Captain Cook Society, the monument to the British explorer was likely to have been the first major memorial to him in Victoria when it was unveiled in December 1914. Its engraving commemorates the date of the Endeavour’s departure from Plymouth in 1768 on Cook’s first voyage that included charting the east coast of Australia. The statue itself is a replica of one in England.

Cook did not visit Port Phillip.

Meanwhile, a memorial to Queen Victoria standing in the Queen Victoria Gardens near the city centre was also found vandalised early on Thursday. It was sprayed with red paint and reportedly graffitied with the same message “the colony will fall”.

The Victorian premier, Jacinta Allan, on Thursday condemned the vandalism of the Cook statue.

Speaking to reporters, Allan said “this sort of vandalism has no place in our society”.

“We will be working with the council to repair and reinstate the statue in St Kilda that has been vandalised overnight,” she said.

The opposition leader, John Pesutto, said the incident was “totally unacceptable”.

“There’s no place for acts of vandalism or any other violent acts against people or property in our community,” he said.

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“We support the right of people to protest and demonstrate but it must always be done in a peaceful and respectful way.”

The Port Phillip council mayor, Heather Cunsolo, said she was “disappointed by the vandalism” of the statue, adding that the council had supported a dawn “mourning reflection ceremony” held by traditional owners promoting unity and reconciliation on Friday.

“We understand and acknowledge the complex and diverse views surrounding Australia Day,” she said. “We can’t condone, however, the vandalism of a public asset where costs will be ultimately borne by ratepayers.”

Council officers had taken the statue away for “assessment” and the graffiti was being removed, she said. Damage to the plinth stonework would also be repaired.

The memorial has a history of being vandalised, especially in the lead-up to 26 January.

In 2018 the statue had pink paint dumped on it, with the words “no pride” painted beneath the feet, along with the Aboriginal flag.

The council had arranged for a security guard for the statue from later on Thursday, given the prior history, however the latest attack came before they were scheduled to arrive.