We live in an age of historical desecration. The past, especially the history of the West, is regularly defaced by ignorant and angry activists. These activists appear most regularly in the media, and in school classrooms and university lecture theatres, where they tell their students that Cook was a wicked man responsible for the moral failures of British colonialism in Australia.
Increasingly, these activists make their presence felt by vandalism. Statues of James Cook, the man who captained the Endeavour, who is said to have “discovered” the east coast of Australia, are regularly targeted by these vandals. For example, in the lead-up to Australia Day in 2025, red paint was poured on the statue of Cook that stands in Randwick in Sydney. Similar attacks have occurred in Melbourne.
These actions communicate nothing of importance about the man the statue commemorates. They do show something important about the vandals themselves, though: they are ignorant and barbaric.
