Queen Victoria doused in green paint
The statue of Queen Victoria outside McGill’s Pollack Hall was covered in green paint, but nobody has yet claimed the act or delivered a manifesto.
Would’ve gone better with last weekend’s parade.
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Kate
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Faiz Imam 13:28 on 2019-03-24 Permalink
We are seeing an increased consciousness of Imperialism and Canada’s role in empire, I expect all signs of it that are actively venerated in the public sphere (distinct from being taught as part of history) will be both critiqued and vandalized till they are removed.
Kate 17:18 on 2019-03-24 Permalink
I think there’s a distinction between a queen and a politician like Macdonald, though. She was born into her situation and while she became a figurehead during a colonial time – and probably held some of the prejudices common in that time – she was not a politician or otherwise ambitious. She didn’t have to be.
In addition, I don’t know of any quotes or cites from Victoria expressing xenophobia. Not saying she was a saint, just that having the statue there is a reminder to us of a historical time when our feelings were different and kings and queens were to be honoured. There’s also the Square Victoria statue and the one that’s somewhere in the MUHC hospital (used to be at the Vic), as well as Edward VII in Phillips Square. Should they all come down?
(As a woman, I have always had a slight soft spot for seeing Victoria up there looking regal, regardless of any other factors. How many statues of real women do we have?)
Macdonald, on the other hand, didn’t become prime minister by random chance, and once in power, he was in a position to act on attitudes we now find unconscionable toward Canada’s aboriginal people – including the Métis – and immigrants from China and elsewhere. He was our first prime minister, but he established this country on a basis of intransigence and mercilessness toward difference, so I think that statue does need to come down.
Kevin 08:26 on 2019-03-25 Permalink
I received a 600-word document from people claiming credit for this act of vandalism.
It seems their main objection is that people weren’t very nice in the past, and they blame figureheads for the actions of every single individual.
Chris 10:05 on 2019-03-25 Permalink
Kevin, lol, nice summary! Did they explain why the colour green? Does it symbolize something, or was it just on sale?
Are there any statues of Mahatma Gandhi in Montreal? I’m temped (not really) to cover it in paint as an experiment, to see if the media and twitterati would cover it differently. The University of Ghana managed to get rid of their status of that racist, so could we I guess.
JaneyB 10:21 on 2019-03-25 Permalink
I still say better to add statues nearby to tell the story of those who were colonized instead of removing the offenders. The new configuration can then provide an opportunity to think about the bad deeds and increase awareness.
Ian 16:59 on 2019-03-25 Permalink
That would be a great idea. I’d love to see more statues in the city, too, especially representing marginalized histories.