Protesters rejoice as Halifax statue is covered
Mi’kmaq have been calling for removal of tributes to city founder Edward Cornwallis
HALIFAX— Protesters who pledged to remove a statue of Halifax’s controversial founder Saturday say they came away victorious after the monument to Edward Cornwallis was covered by a tarp.
More than 100 people looked on as a municipal worker draped a black tarp over the bronze statue at the centre of Halifax’s Cornwallis Park.
A Facebook event called “Removing Cornwallis” invited protesters to “peacefully remove” the statue, but organizers didn’t initially say how they planned to make that happen.
Cornwallis, as governor of Nova Scotia, founded Halifax in 1749 and soon after issued a bounty on Mi’kmaq scalps in response to an attack on colonists. The Mi’kmaq have long called for removal of tributes to Cornwallis, some calling his actions a form of genocide.
Organizer Elizabeth Marshall said she wanted to see the statue toppled, but at the advice of Indigenous elders, they decided to symbolically bury Cornwallis with a black tarp.
“(The elders) didn’t say take him down in violence. They said we want him taken down in our way,” Marshall told the crowd. “We want to take him down in love. We want to counteract their hatred.” Mayor Mike Savage — who had voiced concerns about “violent action” at the protest earlier in the week — linked hands with protesters as they formed two concentric circles and danced around the shrouded monument to the beat of a drum.
Savage spoke out against the removal plan Tuesday, noting that removing the statue by force is not condoned by the Nova Scotia Assembly of Mi’kmaq Chiefs.
Maryanne Junta, a 16-year-old member of Eskasoni First Nation, said the mayor’s mischaracterization of the event could have invited violence against protesters.
“(Mayor) Savage, shame on you for publicly making false accusations against us in the media, claiming that we are dangerous when our intentions were addressed to be peaceful,” Junta said in a speech. “But, I understand that you are here. I appreciate you making your presence and keeping the peace as we promised.”
Savage told reporters that he never doubted organizers’ intentions, but he was concerned about social media posts suggesting the event could turn violent.
The mayor said he worked with organizers to cover the monument without endangering protesters or the statue. He said the statue of Cornwallis would be uncloaked shortly after the event.
Organizer Suzanne Patles told reporters that having the monument obscured from her sight, even temporarily, filled her with emotion.
“I’m leaving here on an optimistic note,” Patles said. “I’m hoping that things will move forward.”