The most dramatic scenes were in Melbourne - where demonstrators set fire to the Australian flag and smeared ... with fake blood - vandalising the coat of arms for the Portuguese monarchy.

Canberra's coat of arms is steeped in history. Almost a century old, it features a black swan on the left symbolising First Nations people and a white swan opposite symbolising "European Australians".

“Sean said to me that he wanted to thank … the people of Australia who have not given up, continued to run a campaign and to advocate for his release. And he was very conscious of that,” Mr ...