Sir John A. Macdonald statue vandalized again in Montreal
MONTREAL — Vandals struck a Sir John A. Macdonald statue in downtown Montreal once again, spray-painting the bronze monument to the country’s first prime minister early Thursday.
Activists calling themselves #MacdonaldMustFall claimed responsibility and said the vandalism coincided with the International Day for the Elimination of Racial Discrimination promulgated by the United Nations. They said it was done in solidarity with other worldwide actions against racism.
Critics have argued that Macdonald’s role at the head of a government that created the Indian Act and established the residential school system, as well as his racist comments about Indigenous Peoples, are reason to remove monuments to him.
Another statue of Macdonald was removed from outside Victoria City Hall last August.
The City of Montreal, which owns the downtown statue in Place due Canada, has said it doesn’t intend to remove it. However, it does plan to add cultural and historical references to the Indigenous community.
The Montreal statue has been the target of vandalism at least a half-dozen times since 2017.
The twice-life size statue by British sculptor George Edward Wade has been in its current location since 1895.
Macdonald was prime minister between 1867 and 1873 and again between 1878 and 1891.