Demonstrators vandalized a John A. Macdonald statue in Queen's Park during a Black Lives Matter march in Toronto, calling for the defunding of the city's law enforcement.
Walkaround showing the damage done to the statue of Sir John A MacDonald at Queen’s Park in Toronto earlier today. pic.twitter.com/sy15aKMzoo
— Beth Baisch ? (@tuftedpuffin) July 18, 2020
CityNews tweeted a photo of the defaced statue Saturday morning, adding: "Protesters have defaced a statue of Egerton Ryerson during a march involving Black Lives Matter Toronto who is calling for the defunding of the Toronto Police Service."
#UPDATE: Protesters have defaced a statue of Egerton Ryerson during a march involving Black Lives Matter Toronto who is calling for the defunding of the Toronto Police Service. pic.twitter.com/7ASF3jkXI6
— CityNews Toronto (@CityNews) July 18, 2020
They quickly made a correction that it was a John A. Macdonald statue that had been vandalized, adding that a statue of Egerton Ryerson was vandalized in a similar manner.
CityNews added that the police had brought a driver and passenger of a white van into custody who were in possession of paint and other accessories during the event.
#UPDATE: Two people, a driver and a passenger in a white van that was carrying paint and other accessories for the protest, have been taken into custody by police pic.twitter.com/nGto9VVqKn
— CityNews Toronto (@CityNews) July 18, 2020
A slogan was attached to the statue that read: "TEAR DOWN MONUMENTS THAT REPRESENT SLAVERY, COLONIALISM AND VIOLENCE."
This comes as BLM protesters have been consistently calling for an end to racial injustice and demanding the defunding of law enforcement amid the death of George Floyd.
CityNews reported that a number of other slogans had also been painted near the statues, which read: "Defund, Disarm, Dismantle, Abolish"—referencing the police force across the country.