Police are searching for a man who allegedly defaced three parts of the Australian War Memorial with graffiti in Canberra this morning.
Around 1am, the man allegedly graffitied three areas of the memorial with pro-Palestinian slogans, police said.
“The vandalism is both inappropriate and offensive,” a spokesperson from the Australian War Memorial said of the graffiti.
The graffiti has since been covered by a tarpaulin after the damage was discovered.
The spokesperson said they were “saddened by graffiti which desecrated the heritage building at the Australian War Memorial overnight”.
“The Memorial’s purpose is to commemorate the sacrifice of those Australians who have died in war or on operational service,” they said.
In CCTV footage from around the time of the alleged incident, a man was seen wearing a black hoodie, a mask, and khaki pants with dark knee patches.
Returned and Services League (RSL) National President Greg Mellick also condemned the alleged act of vandalism.
“People are entitled to protest, but the defilement of a memorial to those who served, suffered and died in the service of the Australian nation and to protect the freedoms and way of life of all Australians is disgusting and to be deplored,” he said.
“On behalf of the RSL and all who have served and continue to serve our nation, we condemn the actions of the protester or protesters in the strongest possible terms.”
Mellick said the alleged vandalism did nothing to enhance the cause of those suffering in the Middle East.
He said it “offended not only veterans and service personnel, but all fair-minded and freedom-loving Australians”.
The Australian Federal Police released images of a man in an attempt to locate the person they allege committed the criminal damage.
“Police are very disappointed this morning to see a national institution which holds a special significance to many being vandalised,” ACT Policing’s Acting Inspector Lisa Broomhall said.Â
“We would like to remind the community that while peaceful protest is part of healthy democracy, criminal acts will not be tolerated.”Â
Anyone with information about the alleged incident has been asked to contact Crime Stoppers.
