Arabic version: تضرر نصب تذكارية للحرب في كوينزلاند قبل يوم الذكرى

According to ABC News, two men have been charged with wilful damage after separate vandalism incidents at war memorial sites in Cleveland and Hervey Bay, days before Remembrance Day on November 11.

At Anzac Park in Cleveland, east of Brisbane, the pillar of a 106-year-old war memorial cenotaph was found broken on Sunday morning. Police allege a 20-year-old Cleveland man, who was intoxicated, climbed on the monument, broke it and left the scene. The pillar was photographed shattered on the ground below the memorial.

The damage occurred overnight between Saturday and Sunday. At about midday on Monday, a 20-year-old Cleveland man attended a Gold Coast police station and was subsequently charged.

In Hervey Bay, RSL sub-branch president Brad Gray arrived at work on Monday to find the club’s flagpole damaged. CCTV footage showed a black Nissan Navara driving into the pole three times shortly before 7am. Police attended soon afterwards and apprehended a 38-year-old man in the vehicle nearby.

The man has been charged with offences including wilful damage, possessing a knife in a public place and drug charges. The vehicle had a mattress placed over its bonnet and windscreen. Queensland Premier and Minister for Veterans David Crisafulli described the Cleveland memorial damage as “disgraceful” and said tougher laws would be considered if needed.

Mr Gray said the flagpole was unlikely to be repaired before Remembrance Day, but said no changes were planned for Wednesday’s events. He said he could not understand “desecrating a war memorial” and called the incident “sheer vandalism.”