By Canadian Press

Sir John A. Macdonald statue vandalized again in downtown Montreal

Mar 21, 2019 | 12:04 PM

MONTREAL — Vandals have spray painted a Sir John A. Macdonald statue in downtown Montreal once again.

Montreal police noted the spray paint early today at the imposing bronze monument to the country’s first prime minister located at Place du Canada in downtown Montreal.

Activists calling themselves #MacdonaldMustFall group claimed responsibility, saying the vandalism comes on the International Day for the Elimination of Racial Discrimination promulgated by the United Nations and was done in solidarity with other worldwide actions against racism.

Critics have argued that Macdonald’s role at the head of a government that created the Indian Act and established the residential school system, as well as his racist comments about Indigenous Peoples, are reason to remove monuments to him.

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The Montreal group claiming responsiblity says the statues dedicated to Canada’s first prime minister must be removed from public spaces and moved to archives or museums.

The statue has been hit several times in the past two years, most recently around Christmas.

The Canadian Press