One Queen Victoria statue decapitated in Australia. The incident comes after a series of attacks on historic monuments in Australia honoring British historical figures.

The statue in Geelong was wheeled out in the early hours of Thursday morning, with the words “the colony may fall” scrawled in red paint on its plinth.

There had been previous similar attacks on several memorials to Captain James Cook in Melbourne and Sydney.

“These idiots clearly don’t understand our history… You don’t erase history, if you do that then you’re starting down the road to dictatorship and anarchy,” the Australian Monarchist Association Campaign Committee Chairman told 3AW radio.

The statue, which has been in East Geelong’s Eastern Park since 1912, was found on the ground by passers-by on Thursday morning, while protesters filmed it and posted it online.

Red paint that says “the colony may fall” covered the words “Victoria, Queen and Empress, 1837-1901”.

The words “an empire on which the sun never sets” were also written on the plinth.

Police are looking for CCTV footage to try and find who is responsible.

After the Captain Cook statues were targeted, Victorian Premier Jacinta Allan said: “It’s important as people think about how to express their views – we have the right to express our views – that we ensure public property is respected.

“And also, remember that someone has to come in and clean up after this kind of vandalism.

“This is not a way to get your message across. There are much more effective ways to do this, and that is to do it peacefully and respectfully.”