Perth's Captain James Stirling statue vandalised, one in custody (original) (raw)

A statue of Captain James Stirling that has stood on Hay Street in Perth's central business district for more than 40 years has been damaged, and one person has been taken into custody.

The statue had its neck and hands painted red, and an Aboriginal flag was painted at the bottom.

The statue following the vandalism on Friday.

The incident happened about 2pm with witnesses saying a man spraypainted the statue before running away.

The man was apprehended by police and the statue has since been cleaned.

The vandalism comes the day before a planned protest in Perth organised by the Black Lives Matter movement.

The Aboriginal flag was painted at the bottom of the statue.

It also comes in the week a WA Greens senator called for the destruction of historical monuments.

Stirling was the first Governor and Commander-in-Chief of Western Australia, with several landmarks named after him in the state including the City of Stirling and Stirling Highway.

In 1834 Stirling led police, soldiers and settlers to the Murray River in Pinjarra with the bloody attack involving rifles and bayonets against spears known as the Pinjarra massacre.

The statue was erected in 1979 and was created by Clement P Somers.