Charges have been issued to a 56-year-old Toronto man in connection to the toppling of a statue of Sir John A. Macdonald in Hamilton Park last weekend.
According to CP24, police investigators received a number of tips stemming from the release of photos of four suspects they believed to be involved in the action.
Investigators arrested 56-year-old Aiguel Martin Avila-Valarde, and he was charged with mischief over $5,000 and was released on an undertaking. He is scheduled to appear in court at a later date.
The statue came down at the Indigenous Freedom Rally at Gore Park on Saturday. The rally was held after the city council decided not to remove the statue of Canada’s first prime minister from the park.
Macdonald’s legacy has come into question recently, with the prime minister being regarded as one of the architects of Canada’s residential school system. The residential schools have come back into the spotlight with the discovery of thousands of unmarked burial sites on the grounds of the former schools.
According to CP24, a letter was issued by protest organizers before the rally, calling the council’s decision “deeply disturbing” to the city’s Indigenous community.
On Saturday, police said that a female was seen scaling the statue to tie ropes at around 2:15 pm. Those ropes were used to pull the statue down off its pedestal. The statue was further damaged once on the ground with the use of spray paint, a hammer, and a grinder.
Hamilton police say that further charges may be issued as the investigation continues.
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