Pro-Palestine protesters vandalize Melbourne World Heritage fountain, prompting cleanup costs and police probe
Graffiti and red-dyed water target the Hochgurtel Fountain outside the Royal Exhibition Building; authorities condemn the act as police investigate.
Pro-Palestine protesters vandalized Melbourne's Hochgurtel Fountain, a World Heritage-listed water feature outside the Royal Exhibition Building in Carlton Gardens, painting slogans on the base and dyeing the water red. The incident was discovered Saturday when staff arrived at the landmark, with phrases including 'Sanction Israel' and 'Free Gaza' visible on the sculptures.
City of Melbourne staff drained the fountain and cordoned off the area as cleaners prepared to remove the graffiti and restore the feature. Acting Lord Mayor Roshena Campbell told the Daily Mail the vandalism was unacceptable and created a financial cost for taxpayers. 'Taxpayer dollars are being spent on yet another clean up for protesters – this time of the beloved and World Heritage-listed Royal Exhibition Building fountain,' Campbell said. 'Enough is enough. Defacing public property in Melbourne does nothing to change the situation in Gaza but it does create real harm at home.'
Victoria Police said the matter is being investigated. A spokeswoman told the Daily Mail that authorities are aware a fountain was painted in Carlton and that the case is under active review. City safety and cleaning portfolio head Rafael Camillo described the graffiti as unwelcome, stressing that while the city respects peaceful protest, vandalism has no place in Melbourne.
Public reaction on Australian social media was divided. Some users expressed sympathy with the protesters’ message, while others condemned the disruption and argued the vandalism harmed residents and public institutions. Others urged focus on diplomatic avenues rather than property damage.
The incident comes as the international community looks ahead to the two-year anniversary of Hamas’s October 7, 2023, assault on southern Israel. The conflict has since produced heavy casualties and broader regional instability. A United Nations report asserted that Israel’s actions in Gaza meet the criteria for an act defined as destroying a population, citing high civilian deaths, humanitarian collapse, and a rising famine risk. Israel’s ambassador to the UN, Daniel Meron, dismissed the report as scandalous and fake, rejecting the allegations and defending Israel’s right to respond to the attacks. In the broader context, the toll of the war has surpassed tens of thousands of lives, reshaping public opinion and fueling ongoing protests around the world.