Demonstrators toppled and defaced the statue of Queen Elizabeth and Queen Victoria in Canada amid growing outrage after the discovery of mass graves that belonged to over 1,000 Indigenous children. The recent discoveries of the skeletal remains had led to calls from Indigenous groups to not celebrate Canada Day, which is held on July 1.
A group of protestors gathered at the Manitoba legislature wearing orange t-shirts and waving flags in support of Indigenous people put a rope on Queen Elizabeth and Victoria's statues and toppled it to the ground for their crimes committed against the Indigenous people and children of Canada.
On June 24, 2021, it was announced that skeletal remains of children were found in unmarked graves at a former residential school and was revealed that the children were forcefully taken away from their families to attend schools for over a century so they can assimilate into Canadian society.
Many children were killed and buried in unmarked graves showing little or no respect towards the lives of the Indigenous people as thousands of children were raped, beaten, abused and made to suffer from malnutrition. It is reported that up to 6,000 children lost their lives at the hands of the British empire.
In Ottawa, thousands of protestors gathered outside the steps of the Parliament Hill amid chants of ''Cancel Canada Day'' and ''shame on Canada,'' urging leaders to stop celebrating Canada Day over the deaths of Indigenous people.
Apart from toppling Queen Elizabeth and Victoria's statues, protesters also vandalized 10 Churches in the city by spraying orange and red paints outside the walls. The Calgary police also said in a statement that the protestors smashed the Church's windows and threw paint on the floor and benches.
Following the discovery, Chief Jason Louie of the Lower Kootenay Band told CBC Radio that the British Monarchy needs to be held accountable for its horrific actions in the past. ''Let's call this for what it is. It's a mass murder of indigenous people. The Nazis were held accountable for their war crimes,'' he said.
