On Saturday, protesters in Montreal toppled a statue of John A. Macdonald, Canada's first prime minister, as the country sees massive marches demanding to cut police funding.
According to a flyer from the rally obtained by Global News, the movement to remove the statue of Macdonald was organized in solidarity with "all those fighting against colonialism and anti-blackness in the struggle for a better world".
“Today, inspired by a summer of rebellion and anti-racist protest, a diverse coalition of young activists take it upon themselves to act where the city has failed,” read the flyer. "We offer this action in solidarity with the Indigenous peoples of Tio’tia:ke, Turtle Island and across the globe, and all those fighting against colonialism and anti-blackness in the struggle for a better world".
Statue taken down today in so-called #Montreal #BlackLivesMatter #DefundPolice #manifencours #decolonize Kanada pic.twitter.com/0TYGayWUiK
— Nore (@noreornot) August 29, 2020
The statue toppling drew condemnation from Montreal Mayor Valerie Plante, who rolled out a series of tweets on Saturday, pondering the situation.
"I strongly condemn the acts of vandalism that took place this afternoon in downtown Montréal, which led to the John A. Macdonald statue being torn down. Such gestures cannot be accepted nor tolerated", she said, outlining that monuments that are seen as "controversial" by some people should rather be "put in context" than overthrown.
Some historical monuments, here as elsewhere, are at the heart of current emotional debates. I reiterate that it's better to put them in context rather than remove them. I am also in favour of adding monuments that are more representative of the society to which we aspire. (2/4)
— Valérie Plante (@Val_Plante) August 29, 2020
She insisted that actions done "to live in a more just and inclusive society" must be undertaken peacefully and without vandalism.
BIPOC (Black, Indigenous and People of Colour) movement activists in Canada, however, claim that "without the removal of the laws of colonialism" people of color "will cease to exist".
The statue of Canada's first prime minister was the subject of heated discussion for what was seen as celebrating Canada's colonial past, with some claiming that the statues represent "retrograde values" and should be removed.
Demonstrations in Canada unfold amid nationwide protests against police brutality and racism in the United States, sparked by the death of a black man George Floyd in police custody, which have already triggered monument toppling in the country. Protesters overthrew and vandalised monuments of George Washington, Christopher Columbus, and, paradoxically, even abolitionist activist Frederick Douglass, claiming that they represent wrong values and promote racism and slavery.
