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Statues of Anglo-Malaysian William Light and indigenous troops attacked

SA Premier blasts the ‘mindless’ vandalism of statues honouring Adelaide’s Anglo-Malaysian town planner and the first war effort featuring Aboriginal soldiers.

A policeman at the vandalised statue of Colonel William Light in Adelaide. Picture: Mike Burton
A policeman at the vandalised statue of Colonel William Light in Adelaide. Picture: Mike Burton

Two Adelaide statues, one celebrating the city’s Anglo-Malaysian town planner the other commemorating the first Australian war effort featuring Aboriginal soldiers, have been vandalised by Black Lives Matter supporters in an act the SA Premier Steven Marshall has blasted as “mindless”.

In two separate incidents on Wednesday and Thursday, the statue of town planner Colonel William Light pointing over the city of Adelaide from Montefiore Hill was daubed with the words “No pride in genocide” and “Death to Australia”.

Light was a Malaysian-born surveyor and town planner who designed the city of Adelaide when the colony was incepted in 1836. He was of mixed ancestry with Malay and Thai heritage from his mother’s side and envisaged a democratic and liveable city with wide streets and ringed by parklands in which everyone could share.

The statue of town planner Colonel William Light pointing over the city of Adelaide from Montefiore Hill. Picture: Mike Burton
The statue of town planner Colonel William Light pointing over the city of Adelaide from Montefiore Hill. Picture: Mike Burton

The second memorial, on North Terrace, features of a horseman and commemorates the 1899-1902 Boer War in South Africa, the first conflict in which indigenous soldiers served alongside their Anglo-Saxon counterparts.

That memorial was sprayed with daubed with red paint with the words reading “No justice on stolen land”.

The attacks were condemned by SA Premier Steven Marshall, who has long championed indigenous rights in the only Australian state where police controversially granted a formal exemption from social distancing rules this month so a 6000-strong Black Lives Matter protest could be held legally in Victoria Square.

“The graffiti attacks that we have seen on statues in South Australia are completely and utterly unacceptable,” Mr Marshall said.

“There are plenty of ways for people to make their thoughts known on BLM or any issue in Australia. We are taking it very seriously. This will not be tolerated.”

Opposition Leader Peter Malinauskas said defacing the statues had no bearing on the Black Lives Matter movement and would do nothing to help the cause.

South Australian Premier Steven Marshall. Picture: AAP
South Australian Premier Steven Marshall. Picture: AAP

Natasha Wanganeen, an SOS Blak Australia SA Action Group community member and Black Lives Matter Adelaide protest co-host, said she did not support vandalism and was unaware of the offender.

But she told Adelaide newspaper The Advertiser that her group stood by its call to have Light’s statue replaced with a tribute to an indigenous person or people who have fought for indigenous rights.

To that suggestion, Premier Marshall responded bluntly: “No.”

He also pointed out that the Boer War statue was one of a number in SA that recognised the service of indigenous Australians, including the memorial unveiled in 2013 at the Torrens Parade Grounds commemorating Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander servicemen and women in every Australian conflict.

“There is no case whatsoever for vandalising the Boer War memorial,” Mr Marshall said. “Aboriginal men fought for Australia in the Boer War. It is completely unacceptable.”

Graffiti on the statue of Colonel William Light. Picture: Mike Burton
Graffiti on the statue of Colonel William Light. Picture: Mike Burton

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Original URL: https://www.theaustralian.com.au/nation/statues-of-eurasian-colonel-william-light-and-indigenous-troops-attacked/news-story/2ec4d62a898c2afca4c738fbe17cbc69