Anger in Canada after discovery of round 1,000 indigenous kids as young as three in mass graves

 

Statues of Queen Victoria, Queen Elizabeth II and explorer Captain James Cook have been toppled, desecrated and damaged by a violent mob during protests throughout Canada on its national day over the country's colonial past.

In scenes reminiscent of the BLM protests in the UK last year where a 'hit list' of statues was drawn up for destruction, the bronze sculptures of Britain's current monarch and her great-great grandmother in Winnipeg were hauled down, daubed with red paint and even appeared to have been strangled with Mohawk flags.

With no police to be seen anywhere, protesters in orange led via members of the 'Idle No More' team campaigning for Canada Day to be cancelled, tied ropes to the necks of the statues and ripped them to the ground to chants of 'no to genocide' and 'bring her down' amid fury over the deaths of 1,000 indigenous kids discovered buried in mass graves this month.

Between the 18th century and the 1970s, 150,000 indigenous Canadian kids were compelled to convert to Christianity and not allowed to communicate with their native languages after being sent to Catholic schools. Many were beaten and verbally abused, and up to 6,000 are stated to have died.

Extraordinary footage of Queen Victoria's Winnipeg statue being toppled in vast daylight confirmed heaps of people cheering and squealing with joy as she fell, before many commenced dancing with pleasure on the fallen determine and its plinth whilst waving Canadian indigenous flags. The statue of the current Queen, yards away, was brought down quickly afterwards.

1,500 miles west, a statue of Captain Cook - the first Briton to land in British Columbia - was additionally pulled down in the town of Victoria before being hurled in the harbour in scenes reminiscent of the destruction of the Edward Colston statue in Bristol last year. Cook's statue was changed by a red wooden dress - a colour and symbol for indigenous people in Canada.

A close by statue of Queen Victoria is taped off after being covered in paint - but a mob failed to damage it - and at least ten church buildings were additionally desecrated overnight.

The attacks have been spearheaded by Idle No More, a left-wing organisation that describes itself as 'a grassroots advocacy group, opposing unilateral & colonial legislation' in Canada, but additionally campaigns on global issues including for Justin Trudeau to sanction Israel over its treatment of Palestinians.

Prime Minister Trudeau stated recently he was 'terribly saddened' by the at Marieval Indian Residential School, and informed indigenous people that 'the hurt and the trauma that you feel is Canada´s responsibility to bear'.

But it seems protesters are additionally focussed on damaging monuments of British queens, even though the country became an independent state in 1867 whilst retaining its link to the Royal Family.