‘Wouldn’t see a statue of Hitler in Tel Aviv’: Statues defaced amid calls for them to be toppled

Following international calls for racist statues to be torn down, signs have popped up on several monuments in Victoria.

Someone has placed a face mask with ‘BLM’ written on it on a statue of Matthew Flinders on the corner of Swanston and Collins streets.

Meanwhile, a monument to Angus McMillan in Stratford has had a new plaque added.

Former state MP and Aboriginal woman Lidia Thorpe said problematic historical figures should not be celebrated.

“I don’t think that we should be celebrating anybody who has been responsible for mass murders, I don’t think that would be appropriate,” she told Neil Mitchell.

“If anybody has been responsible for murdering Aboriginal people in this country … of poisoning waterholes, then no, I don’t think that we should be celebrating those kinds of people.

“We wouldn’t see a statue of Hitler in the middle of Tel Aviv.”

Press PLAY below for the interview.