Protesters tear down statues of Queen Elizabeth II and Queen Victoria in Canada

This Thursday Canada commemorates its national holiday, which marks the country’s official founding date of July 1, 1867. Darker spirits following less than usual celebrations and the discovery of more than 1,000 unidentified bodies of tribal children in recent weeks Based on former government boarding schools.

That discovery was unleashed Hundreds of protesters destroy statues of Queen Elizabeth II and Queen Victoria.

Although the country became independent in 1867, Queen Elizabeth II remains King of Canada. During the demonstration, people Elizabeth and Victoria “Faces of colonialism”, Those who blamed those deaths.

The statues were overthrown, desecrated and damaged by violent mobs. Since there were no police at the time, protesters tied ropes around the statues’ necks and tore them to the ground.No genocide“Y”Bring it down”, Found to be largely buried amid anger over the death of 1,000 tribal children.

Since the end of May tk’emlúps te secwépemc, An aboriginal team from western Canada found the remains of at least 215 aboriginal children buried in Kamloops’ former school home. A large number of voices called for the cancellation of Canada Day celebrations.

Announcement of the other two Indigenous groups And the discovery of unidentified tombs In many school flats, government agencies led by religious orders forcibly detained tribal children Many still question the legitimacy of the establishment of Canada.

“I do not feel the need to celebrate Canada Day and the horrific events that our people endured.He told the news agency EFE Heather Bear, One of the Indigenous Leaders of the Sovereign Federation of Indigenous Peoples (FSIN), which unites 74 tribal groups in the province of Saskatchewan in western Canada.

In early June, cowessess Saskatchewan revealed the discovery 751 Unidentified tombs Based on Marywell’s former boarding school, a boarding school about 2,500 kilometers northwest of Toronto, it operated between 1899 and 1996.

“Reduction” against Indigenous Peoples

Thousands of tribal children were sent to Marywell. There they experienced all kinds of physical, emotional and sexual abuse As part of a “reunion” system to eliminate indigenous culture.

Like the Kamloops Boarding School, Marywell was run by the missionary Oblets of the Catholic Order Mary Immaculate.

A growing group of municipalities across the country has decided to cancel the July 1 celebration in memory of tribal children killed in school homes.

Y Thousands of people took part in processions in major cities across the country this Thursday, Many of them wore orange shirts representing survivors in school flats.

Pierre, the traditional leader, said he studied at Marywell in the 1970s, not in boarding school, but in a day school that was only for tribal children.

She and her family decided she could no longer bear the racism and persecution she experienced at the public school she attended with white children from neighboring communities.

“Every day I traveled by bus for two hours to get to Marywell. There, at least I was with my colleagues, had more respect. There was such discrimination and racism in public school that it was horrible. The teachers actually taught other children to be racist and hate usSaid the bear.

The Bear recalls seeing the grave of Marywell’s boarding school from his classroom and is now surprised: “How many schools have graves based on them?”.

“I didn’t feel like celebrating Canada Day when I was a part of it,” he stressed.

DUEL DAY

“I think of those children with names and their families who loved them. I think Canada Day is a very appropriate day to be a day of prayer and a day of mourning.After all, for many Canadians he added a tribal leader who recognizes July 1 as still a holiday.

One of them is the leader of the Conservative Party of Canada, the main opposition, Erin O Tool, Attempts by tribals and non-tribals to cancel celebrations a Attempts by “activists” to “attack” the country.

“I am concerned that the injustices of our past or our present are often exploited by a small group of activists who use them to attack the idea of ​​Canada,” O’Toole told a news conference a few days ago.

Prime Minister of Canada, Justin Trudeau, He was not in favor of canceling the celebrations., But ordered the flag to fly over the Canadian Parliament in Ottawa It will be held on July 1 at Half Mast In memory of tribal children.

This Thursday, Trudeau said in a statement, “The horrific discovery of the remains of hundreds of children in former school residences in British Columbia and Saskatchewan has forced us to reasonably reflect on our country’s historic failures and still-existing injustices. Take action against indigenous peoples and many others in Canada. ”

(With information from EFE)

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