Captain Cook statue outside Melbourne’s Cook’s Cottage toppled amid spate of attacks

The Captain Cook memorial in Fitzroy gardens before the attack … the state government will support the council if it decides to reinstate the statue. Photograph: Bloomberg/Getty Images

A bronze statue of Captain James Cook has been toppled outside the explorer’s namesake cottage in the heart of Melbourne, after a series of recent attacks on statues and monuments bearing his name.

Victoria police confirmed it was investigating criminal damage to the statue in East Melbourne, which caused it to fall to the ground early Monday.