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A defaced statue of Queen Victoria lies after being toppled during a rally on Canada Day in Winnipeg. /Reuters
Protesters toppled statues of British and Commonwealth monarchs Queen Victoria and Queen Elizabeth II in Winnipeg, Canada, amid rising anger sparked by the discovery of the remains of hundreds of indigenous children in unmarked graves at former residential schools.
A crowd chanted "no pride in genocide" before pulling down the statues of the monarchs. The action took place on Canada Day on Thursday, when traditionally celebrations take place across the country.
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Many cities opted to cancel the events as the scandal of a further 182 unmarked graves discovered just two days ago in British Columbia threatened to dominate a day in the Canadian calendar that marks the moment when three British colonies joined together to form the nation of Canada.
We as Canadians must be honest with ourselves about our past
- Canada's Prime Minister Justin Trudeau
Canada Day was already a contentious issue for many indigenous groups and Prime Minister Justin Trudeau had hoped to pacify feelings, calling on June 30 for a "time for reflection."
Almost 1,000 unmarked graves have now been discovered at former residential schools funded by the Canadian government and run by the Catholic Church. The compulsory boarding schools forced local indigenous children to attend and in 2015, the Truth and Reconciliation Commission described the treatment of pupils in the past 165 years as "cultural genocide."
Evidence was brought before the commission from as recently as 1996, of physical and sexual abuse and reports of malnourishment.
In Winnipeg, crowds cheered as the statue of the UK's former Queen Victoria was brought down outside the Manitoba provincial legislature. Protesters, wore orange clothing in honor of the victims and the statue was covered in red hand marks as many celebrated as it toppled over.
A nearby statue of Canada's current head of state was also pulled down and in the financial district of Toronto and the capital Ottawa #CancelCanadaDay marches took place.
Trudeau reflected the mood across the country in his Canada Day address. "The horrific findings of the remains of hundreds of children at the sites of former residential schools in British Columbia and Saskatchewan have rightly pressed us to reflect on our country's historic failures and the injustices that still exist for Indigenous peoples and many others in Canada," he said.
Source(s): Reuters
