A statue in Sydney of British explorer James Cook, captain of the first Western ship to reach the east coast of Australia, was sprayed with red paint and damaged two days before Australia's national day,

While Cook is historically recognised as the explorer who charted and claimed the east coast of Australia for Britain in 1770, his arrival is also seen as a prelude to the violent colonisation, dispossession and systemic oppression of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples.

Vandals in Australia poured red paint over a statue of famed British explorer James Cook, officials said Friday ahead of large anti-colonial protests expected over the weekend.