Ontario Sir John A. Macdonald statue defaced for a SECOND TIME in one week

The statue of Macdonald had its hands painted in red paint, which is presumably an allusion to the fact that some Canadians argue that the country's first prime minister had blood on his hands.

The Prince Edward OPP published a statement on Tuesday saying the statue had been vandalized before the Canada Day celebrations. This is the second occurrence of vandalism for this statue alone.

Many statues of controversial historical figures have been removed officially or toppled down via vandals around the world in the wake of George Floyd's murder by a Minneapolis police officer on May 25. Those statues include Christopher Columbus, Abraham Lincoln, and Winston Churchill, among others.

There are multiple monuments to John A. Macdonald and many of them have attracted criticism over recent weeks. One statue was defaced in Toronto, two were defaced in Montreal, and another was defaced in Kitchener, Ontario.

A statue dedicated to the first prime minister was also defaced in Montreal just over a week ago, with vandals painting the statue red, with one protester saying: "The MacDonald Monument is the Canadian equivalent of a racist, Confederate statue in the United States."

"It stands as a symbol of colonialism and the subjugation of Indigenous peoples. The MacDonald Monument celebrates an individual whose policies are directly responsible for the genocide of Indigenous peoples in Canada, and the celebration of white supremacy."

This viewpoint, however, is not universally taken by Canadians. Conservative Commentator Aaron Gunn said that "without John A. MacDonald this country would likely not even exist. He was also remarkably progressive for his time."

"MacDonald Defended the rights of Black Canadians, extended voting rights to many First Nations (later repealed by the Liberals) and was one of the world’s first proponents of universal suffrage for women," he continued.