Statues of Queen Victoria and Elizabeth were demolished during Canadian protests

Winnipeg, Canada (Reuters) – Protesters tore down statues of Queen Victoria and Elizabeth II in the Canadian city of Winnipeg, sparking outrage at the discovery of the remains of hundreds of minors at one time unnamed graves. Ancient Indigenous Schools.
Before overthrowing the statues of the kings a crowd chanted “No pride in genocide”.

The event took place on Canada Day Thursday, which is traditionally celebrated across the country.

However, many cities suppressed events this year because the Indian child scandal caused Canadians to understand their colonial history. Prime Minister Justin Trudeau called the day “a time of reflection.”

1,000 unmarked graves have been found in former boarding schools in British Columbia and Saskatchewan, which were primarily run by the Catholic Church and funded by the government.

For 165 years and until 1996, schools forcibly separated tribal children from their families and subjected them to malnutrition and physical and sexual abuse, which the Truth and Reconciliation Commission called “cultural genocide” in 2015.

In Winnipeg, a crowd applauded the fall of a statue of Queen Victoria in front of the Manitoba Provincial Assembly. Protesters, many of them dressed in orange, kicked the inverted statue and danced around it. The pedestal and statue were covered with red paint hand signs.

Many cities have suppressed Canada Day events this year amid corruption related to the treatment of tribal minors.

They also overthrew the statue of Queen Elizabeth II, the current head of state of Canada, who ruled Victoria from 1837 to 1901 when Canada was part of the British Empire.

Protests in support of Indigenous children took place on Thursday in Toronto, Canada’s financial center, while the #CancelCanadaDay (“Cancel Canada Day”) march in the capital, Ottawa, drew thousands of people in support of victims and boarding school survivors. Organization.

Vigils and rallies were held in other parts of the country. Many participants wore orange clothing, which has become a symbol of the movement.

In his Canada Day message, Trudeau said the discovery of the remains of old-school children “made us think about our country’s historic failures.” Injustices continue to plague Indigenous peoples and many more in Canada, he said.

A spokesman for British Prime Minister Boris Johnson said the government had condemned any attack on the Queen’s statues.

“Following these tragic discoveries, we stand with the Canadian Indigenous community, we are closely monitoring these issues, and we continue to engage in Indigenous affairs with the Canadian government,” he said.