Police are investigating after a man sprayed pro-Palestinian graffiti on the Australian War Memorial in Canberra overnight.
Officers said the man left graffiti with pro-Palestinian slogans in three areas near the Canberra monument around 1am on Friday.
He was pictured on CCTV wearing a black sweater, face covering and khaki trousers with dark knee patches.
Acting Inspector Lisa Broomhall said criminal damage would not be tolerated at a national institution.
“Police are very disappointed this morning to see a national institution that has special significance for many destroyed,” she said.
Police are looking for a man who defaced three parts of the Australian War Memorial in Canberra around 1 a.m. on Friday (photo)
The monument (photo, stock) is the latest subject of pro-Palestinian action since the start of the war in Gaza
“We would like to remind the community that while peaceful protest is part of a healthy democracy, criminal acts will not be tolerated.
“Police will investigate this matter thoroughly in an effort to ensure those involved are brought to justice.”
Monuments to Australia’s war effort and colonial-era figures have been the subject of pro-Palestinian action since the start of the war in Gaza.
Earlier this week, police were called to the statue of King George V in Melbourne after it was decapitated and covered in red paint.
The monument to the Vietnam War in Canberra was also previously spray-painted red, with pro-Palestinian messages such as ‘all eyes on Rafah’.