Overview
- About 40 to 50 knock‑off prints mimicking Peter Drew’s ‘Aussie’ series, bearing the image of alleged gunman Naveed Akram, were pasted across Melbourne’s CBD last week.
- City of Melbourne crews took the material down under a rapid‑removal policy that targets racist or hateful content within one hour of being reported.
- Lord Mayor Nick Reece denounced the hijacking of the artwork as a deliberate act to spread hate and said teams worked around the clock to clear the sites.
- Officials said CCTV shows the offenders clearly and described the operation as coordinated, with Victoria Police notified and inquiries continuing.
- Jewish community representatives and artist Peter Drew condemned the stunt as disrespectful to Bondi victims, noting Akram has been charged in relation to the December 14 attack that left 15 dead and dozens injured.