Video of vandals cutting down the statue of a controversial Tasmanian colonial premier and surgeon has been posted on social media as police investigations continue.
The tribute to William Crowther was discovered on the ground next to its plinth at Franklin Square in Hobart on Wednesday morning, cut off at the ankles.
The words "what goes around" and "decolonise" were spray painted on the plinth in red.
Dr Crowther was in 1869 accused of removing and stealing the skull from the body of Aboriginal man William Lanne and briefly served as premier in the 1870s.
Hobart City Council in 2022 voted to have the statue removed and an appeal against the decision failed on Wednesday, mere hours after the statue was cut down.
A video showing people dressed in black using an angle grinder to cut the statue's legs was posted online by Crym, which describes itself as a civil resistance youth movement.
The group says the video, shared on Thursday night, was provided anonymously.
"We can't erase history, but we can tear down the horrible colonialists who have disgraced it until we wake up to the reality of colonisation on this continent," the group said.
A Tasmania Police spokeswoman said investigations into the matter were ongoing and no charges had yet been laid.
CCTV footage from the area is being examined.
Indigenous groups have campaigned for years to have the statue taken down, saying it was a hurtful reminder of actions like Dr Crowthers'.
The council has moved the statue, which was erected in 1889, into storage.
Temporary signage that will offer "deeper insights" into Dr Crowther's actions and their historical context will be set up at the site.
A new replacement work telling a "broader and more truthful" story about colonial history will be commissioned as a replacement.
