Community News
Defacing of public monuments by Black Lives Matter ignites reaction
BY PAUL JUNOR
Black Lives Matter-Toronto (BLMTO) has been involved in many peaceful protests, quiet demonstrations, and effective rallies in its four-year existence.
On Saturday, July 18th, 2020, there was a march from Ryerson University to the Ontario legislature. According to City News and The Canadian Press, the police alleged that two women and a man proceeded to paint a statute of Egerton Ryerson with pink paint. A sign that was attached had the words, “Tear down monuments that represent slavery, colonialism and violence.”
Subsequently, it is alleged that a female sprayed pink paint and affixed signs to the statutes of John A. Macdonald and King Edward VII, which are present on Queen’s Park. Messages in front of the statutes read, “Defund, Disarm. Dismantle, Abolish.”
In response to the defacing of the monuments Rodney Diverlus, one of the co-founder of BLMTO, told the press on Sunday, July 19th, 2020 that the art-based demonstration was intended to make a statement about racism and police violence, and the defacing of public monuments was misguided. He stated, “Symbols remain in our city that remind us of white supremacy and anti-black racism. If people care about statutes more than they care about lives, then I would ask them to question their priorities.”
The police arrested three persons as a result. According to lawyer Saron Gebreselassie in a press conference on Sunday, July 19th, 2020, reported that it took over twelve hours before her clients were released from police custody.
NDP Jill Andrew wrote in her community news update on July 20th, 2020,
“The desperate need for change was highlighted again this weekend when three protestors from Black Lives Matter were arrested and detained without legal counsel for over twelve hours after splashing paints on statutes downtown. While the action drew a lot of attention, the real story is the treatment of the arrestees. It’s unacceptable that it took so long for protestors to be released and it’s intolerable that those who had been detained were denied access to their lawyers. I will be watching very closely to see how this story continues to develop.”
In a statement of solidarity released by Idle No More on Wednesday, July 22nd, 2020 in support of Black Lives Matter-Toronto, “Each statute is a symbol of white supremacy and this was made explicit when community members were arrested, imprisoned and denied legal counsel and medicine. These statutes uphold oppressive ideologies that directly harm black and Indigenous people and we refuse to let these symbols stand in our city unchallenged. These systems of oppression condition us to believe we should accept colonial violence in all its forms, including racist statutes protected by the police today.” (www.idlenomore.ca)
The statute of John A. Macdonald, who was the first prime minister of Canada, has been a sore spot. According to BBC News on August 22nd, 2018 in a report titled, “Reference to Glasgow-born John A. Macdonald has been removed from Scotland,” revealed that all references have been erased from Scotland.org foundations because of his connection to the cultural genocide of Indigenous people. According to Idle No More, he was, “A white supremacist whose genocide policies sought to eradicate Indigenous people on the prairies. As the first prime minister, he helped to create the Indian Act and write Indian policy which would justify colonization, land theft and violence.”
In addition, Egerton Ryerson, after whom Ryerson University is named and who is acknowledged to be the founder of the public-school system has been vilified. He,“played a role in the development of the Indian Residential School System, the profoundly damaging repercussions of which are still felt today.”
This reality can be seen in the Truth and Reconciliation Commission (TRC), which was released in 2015. Its mandate was to, “inform Canadians about the truths of the Indian Residential System.” Furthermore, it gives reference to King Edward VII. The statement notes that he was, “a colonial ruler in Europe who assisted in colonization in India and other dominions of the era these statutes uphold. The statute originally stood in Delhi, India but was removed after independence and relocated in Toronto.”
There are many who are disturbed by the defacement of these public monuments in Toronto. They perceive them to be acts of vandalism and agreed that the perpetrators should be fined and charged. On the other hand, supporters believed that these acts of protest and rebellion are needed to bring public attention to re-evaluating and questioning the role of these statutes. In the wake of the global protest since the death of George Floyd on May 25th, there are worldwide focuses on these historic symbols.