‘Anti-colonial vandals’ deface Macdonald statue
An anonymous group of “anticolonial vandals” has claimed responsibility for spray-painting the Sir John A. Macdonald monument in downtown Montreal’s Place du Canada.
The group says it vandalized the statue early Friday morning in support of the city of Victoria’s recent removal of its own Macdonald monument and “in continued opposition to the far-right groups and politicians who actively defend a legacy of white supremacy and racism.”
Montreal’s statue was vandalized the same way last November.
City workers were working to remove the red paint on Friday.
The anonymous group that claimed the vandalism took photos and videos of the act and issued a statement saying it demands the city remove the monument. It also praised the city’s recent decision to eventually rename Amherst St.
“Macdonald statues should be removed from public space and instead placed in archives or museums, where they belong as historical artifacts,” the group said. “Public space should celebrate collective struggles for justice and liberation, not white supremacy and genocide.”
Montreal police spokesperson Raphaël Bergeron said the police force will investigate the incident.
“If there are people who are claiming it, then, of course, we will try to see what’s going on and find the people responsible,” Bergeron said.
“It will be taken seriously.”