Protesters deface statue of Queen Victoria at B.C. legislature
A group of protesters vandalized a statue of Queen Victoria at the B.C. legislature on Friday.
Protesters splashed cans of red paint on the statue and used red spray paint to scrawl the words “Land Back” on the statue’s podium.
The paint was also poured into a fountain on the legislature grounds.
The incident occurred around 2:30 p.m. when hundreds of protesters converged on the legislature to voice opposition to the logging of old-growth forests in British Columbia.
The organizers of Friday's rally told CTV News they do not condone the vandalism and feel betrayed by those who defaced the statue.
Victoria police are asking any witnesses of the incident to come forward.
"Safe, peaceful and lawful protest is permitted under the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms. Vandalism is not," said the police department in a release Friday.
It was the second straight day of protests against old-growth logging at the B.C. legislature after a group of seniors descended on the legislature grounds Thursday, shutting down a street in the area.
It’s not the first time this year that a royal likeness was vandalized in Victoria.
In February, a bust of Queen Elizabeth II in Beacon Hill Park was decapitated in the midst of a citywide vandalism spree.
The Beacon Hill bust was created to commemorate the royal visit to Victoria in 1959.
Anyone with information on Friday's incident is asked to call Victoria police at 250-995-7654 or call Crime Stoppers anonymously at 1-800-222-8477.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
Grandparent scam: London, Ont., senior beats fraudsters not once, but twice
It was a typical Tuesday for Mabel Beharrell, 84, until she got the call that would turn her world upside down. Her teenaged grandson was in trouble and needed her help.
Deaths of 4 people on Sask. farm confirmed as murder-suicide
The deaths of four people on a farm near the Saskatchewan village of Neudorf have been confirmed a murder-suicide.
CRA no longer requiring 'bare trust' reporting in 2023 tax return
The Canada Revenue Agency announced Thursday it will not require 'bare trust' reporting from Canadians that it introduced for the 2024 tax season, just four days before the April 2 deadline.
Full parole granted to man convicted in notorious 'McDonald's murders' in Cape Breton
The Parole Board of Canada has granted full parole to one of three men convicted in the brutal murders of three McDonald's restaurant workers in Cape Breton more than 30 years ago.
Incident on Calgary's Reconciliation Bridge comes to safe resolution
Nearly 20 hours after a man climbed and remained perched on top of the Reconciliation Bridge in downtown Calgary, the situation came to a peaceful resolution.
Sunshine list: These were the Ontario public sector's highest earners in 2023
Ontario released its annual sunshine list Thursday afternoon, noting that the largest year-over-year increases were in hospitals, municipalities, and post-secondary sectors.
George Washington family secrets revealed by DNA from unmarked 19th century graves
Genetic analysis has shed light on a long-standing mystery surrounding the fates of U.S. President George Washington's younger brother Samuel and his kin.
'We won't forget': How some Muslims view Poilievre's stance on Israel-Hamas war
A spokesman for a regional Muslim advocacy group says Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre's stance on the Israel-Hamas war could complicate his party's relationship with Muslim Canadians.
Why some Christians are angry about Trump's 'God Bless the USA' Bible
Former U.S. President Donald Trump is officially selling a copy of the Bible themed to Lee Greenwood’s famous song, 'God Bless the USA.' But the concept of a Bible covered in the American flag has raised concern among religious circles.