Victoria BC – Protesters pulled down a statue of Capt. James Cook and threw the pieces into Victoria’s Inner Harbour on Thursday night.
The statue of the British explorer, which stood in front of the Empress Hotel, was destroyed shortly after 8:30 p.m.
Winnipeg, Manitoba — Demonstrators toppled statues of Queen Elizabeth II and Queen Victoria at the Manitoba Legislature on Thursday afternoon.
The statues were taken down during events held at the Manitoba Legislature grounds in honour of the Indigenous children who died at former residential schools.
The statue of Queen Victoria was coated in red paint and the base covered in red handprints.
This statue was first unveiled on the grounds in 1904.
How many churches burned down in BC ? Four locally in SOS
This was done by :
- Opportunistic oppressors and settlers or indigenous warriors
What do native, band and indigenous leaders say ?
Chief of LSIB
Chief Keith Crow of the Lower Similkameen Indian Band said the fires have only compounded the pain of residential school survivors who are hurting.
Community members across the street from Our Lady of Lourdes Church, on the Chopaka Native Reserve, spotted a vehicle outside, went out to to investigate and saw the fire start. Crow said he arrived at the church about 15 minutes later, before the Fire Department.
“If the community came to us and said we want to remove the churches, we would have done it — in a good way. But for one individual to go and do this without community consensus — it’s heartbreaking for the ones that utilize the church.”
Chief of PIB
“I attended that school myself, the Indian day school. Even though it wasn’t as traumatic as the residential school, we still suffered the abuse to some extent from the priests and the nuns,” Greg Gabriel states
Children at the day school also attended religious services at the church ( Sacred Heart Catholic Church ),,,,,,, “Having said all that, there was a lot of community members today, especially the elderly ones who were saddened by the loss of this church because there were so many memories that were generated over the years — their children’s baptism, their grandchildren’s baptism,” Gabriel said.
“There’s mixed feelings throughout the community on the loss of this church.”
OIB Chief
A prominent Indigenous leader in the B.C. Southern Interior is condemning the acts of possible arson after four Catholic churches burnt down on First Nations land in six days.
Chief Clarence Louie of the Osoyoos Indian Band, who is also the tribal chair and spokesperson of the Okanagan Nation Alliance, said there is no doubt in his mind the fires were intentionally set.
“I wouldn’t call it suspicious, I’d call it what it is, it’s a criminal act, it’s vandalism. It’s arson.
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Let us not forget what has sparked the outrage – unreported deaths of children at residential schools.
But to quote Band and Indigenous Leaders – one crime does not relate to another.