(Reuters) – A statue of Canada’s prime minister, Sir John Macdonald, was shot down in downtown Montreal due to protesters demonstrating in the collapse of police, government officials said.
The incident occurred at the end of a nonviolent march on Saturday, when an organization of others climbed the monument and knocked down the statue, causing the head to fly out, according to a video posted on social media.
Police exclusion requests from the list have increased in the United States and Canada after a series of violent incidents involving police. The death of George Floyd, a black man, while in Minneapolis police custody in May sparked global protests against racial inequality and police brutality, and renewed the commitments of some to combat racism.
In June, a video showing the forced arrest of a Canadian Aboriginal leader through the Royal Canadian Mounted Police raised questions about the use of force by police.
The Macdonald statue has been the scene of repeated graffiti in recent years and has been covered with red paint.
Saturday’s incident was temporarily condemned through political leaders.
“Whatever one might think of John A. Macdonald, destroying a monument in this way is unacceptable,” Quebec Premier François Legault said in a tweet. “We must fight racism, but destroying parts of our history is not the solution.”
The newly elected leader of Canada’s leading Conservative Opposition Party, Erin O’Toole, said, “We will build a long term through the degradation of our past.”
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