Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau has condemned the tearing down of a statue of the country’s first PM Sir John A MacDonald in Montreal last week. At a media interaction in that city, Trudeau said he was disappointed and “actions such as that have no place in a society that abides by the rule of law.”
His criticism of activists tearing down the statue of MacDonald came even as Francois Legault, Premier of the province of Quebec where Montreal is located, said the statue will be restored to its place in the park square. Trudeau was in the city on Monday and castigated those behind toppling the statue, as he said, “Choices like this, to rely on vandalism to advance causes, is not going to help anyone move forward the right way.”
Protestors in Montreal supporting a movement to defund the police toppled and defaced the statue on Saturday. While no group took responsibility for the act at Place du Canada in Quebec’s largest city, there was a march in Montreal that afternoon featuring activists seeking defunding the police, and in support of Black Lives Matter and Indigenous peoples.
According to a video of the incident, a cluster of people scaled the monument where the statue was prominently featured and then pulled it down using ropes after unbolting it from its pedestal. The statue was also decapitated and defaced with graffiti.
{{/usCountry}}According to a video of the incident, a cluster of people scaled the monument where the statue was prominently featured and then pulled it down using ropes after unbolting it from its pedestal. The statue was also decapitated and defaced with graffiti.
{{/usCountry}}According to the national broadcaster CBC, a leaflet found at the site read, in part: “Sir John A. Macdonald was a white supremacist who orchestrated the genocide of Indigenous peoples with the creation of the brutal residential schools system, as well as promoting other measures that attacked Indigenous peoples and traditions.”
Statues of MacDonald have been attacked in various parts of the country in the past but this was the first time one was brought down. Canada witnessed demonstrations in several cities including Toronto, Calgary and Montreal on Saturday.
The vandalism came in for criticism from leaders. Montreal Mayor Valerie Plante condemned the vandalism leading to the tearing down of the statue and said such acts “cannot be accepted nor tolerated.” She added, “I understand and share the motivation of citizens who want to live in a more just and inclusive society. The discussion and the actions that are required must be done in a peaceful manner, without ever resorting to vandalism.”
The Premier of Quebec Francoise Legault described the act as “unacceptable” and added, “We must fight racism, but destroying parts of our history is not the solution. Vandalism has no place in our democracy and the statue must be restored.” The vandalism also faced growing criticism from national and provincial leaders across the country. Plante said Montreal’s public art office will secure the perimeter of the area where the statue stood and coordinate its “conservation.”