A recently erected memorial commemorating assassinated Japanese leader Shinzo Abe and a Canberra Rotary Peace Bell were among more than a dozen monuments defaced with crude graffiti at Lennox Gardens in recent days.
Canberra Burley Griffin Rotary Club's Michael Rabey said he learned about the incident on Tuesday but believes the monuments may have been vandalised on New Year's Eve.
He described the vandalism as an "attack on the people of Canberra and Australia".
"This stands as a beacon of hope, a beacon of peace and it's a great insult to everybody," he said.
A memorial for Australians who took part in the Spanish Civil War and the National Jewish Fund were also among the damaged objects.
The memorial to Mr Abe was erected in late 2022, a few months after the former Japanese prime minister was shot while giving a speech at a campaign event.
Graffiti on the monuments included anti-police and anti-capitalism messaging as well as commentary on the Israel-Gaza war.
The Canberra Rotary Peace Bell was defaced with a symbol of anarchism.
Mr Rabey said a lot of ceremonies were held at the peace bell.
"The last one was on the 10th of December, where we rang the bell for every woman killed through domestic violence in Australia," he said.
He said the graffiti has been been painted over until ACT contractors were able to return from holidays and remove it completely.
On Wednesday, Arts ACT contractor Michael James was making a start on one of the monuments.
He said it was the "most controversial" graffiti he had seen in his career.
Mr James hoped to quickly clean off the pagoda and the memorial to Mr Abe on Wednesday.
In a statement, an ACT Policing spokesperson said they were aware of recent acts of vandalism at memorials and other infrastructure at Lennox Gardens.
"Police remind the community that peaceful protest is part of healthy democracy however criminal acts will not be tolerated," the spokesperson said.
Police are using anyone with information about the damage at Lennox Gardens is urged to contact Crime Stoppers on 1800 333 000 or via crimestoppersact.com.au.
