Police have released images of people they believe could help with their investigation after an ANZAC cenotaph in Tasmania was toppled on Jan. 28.
In an update, Tasmania Police said they have reason to believe the damage wasn’t intentional.
“Police are investigating an incident where the St. Helens Cenotaph was damaged late last Wednesday night,” a police spokesperson said.
“At this stage in the investigation, police believe the damage was unintentional, and the people pictured may be able to assist with their enquiries into the matter.”
An initial photo of the incident, believed to have occured on Jan. 31, showed the monument effectively broken in half, with the top half of the obelisk lying on the platform.
The obelisk was a tribute to World War I diggers.
“The St. Helens cenotaph in Tasmania was dedicated in 1923 to local men who died in World War I,” wrote the British Australian Community on X.
“Among those commemorated are two brothers” whose names were Clarence and Herbert Gardiner.
Clarence was wounded in Gallipoli before passing away in Malta at the age of 21.
Herbert was 23 when he was killed in action in Belgium.
RSL Tasmania responded saying it was an issue society should reflect on.
“These monuments anchor our towns in shared history and collective gratitude,” they said.
The incident comes after a number of vandal attacks on colonial and war monuments across Australia in January with vandals targeting several historic sites in New South Wales and Victoria.
On Jan. 14, Walgett’s 100-year-old ANZAC memorial was knocked over and shattered.
Then from Jan. 21–22, Melbourne’s 154-year-old Pioneer Memorial was destroyed, defaced with the words “death to Australia” along with a symbol of the Hamas terror group. A second monument in the park was also damaged.
On Jan. 23, the Eltham War Memorial was splashed with red paint and slogans.
Then on Jan. 24, a popular Melbourne wedding venue in Queen Victoria Gardens was vandalised with Aboriginal flag graffiti.
Finally, on Jan. 28, Melbourne’s oldest building, La Trobe Cottage, was defaced with red paint.
