Beautiful Virgin Islands

Tuesday, Jun 24, 2025

Statues of Queen Victoria & QE II torn down in Canada

Statues of Queen Victoria & QE II torn down in Canada

A prominent statue of Queen Victoria and a statue of Queen Elizabeth II have has been torn down by protesters in Canada as anger grows over the deaths of indigenous children at residential schools.

The protesters cheered as the statue at the legislature in Manitoba's capital Winnipeg was toppled on Thursday, July 1, 2021, the BBC has reported.

The toppling of the statues came on Canada Day, an annual celebration on July 1 that marks the country's founding by British colonies in 1867.

A seemingly insensitive British government condemned the toppling of the two statues.

"We obviously condemn any defacing of statues of the Queen," a spokesman said.

A statue of Queen Elizabeth II lies facedown in the dirt in Canada.


UK defends preservation of relics of slavery in VI


The toppling of the statues brings to memory the insensitive and even “racist” statement by ex-controversial governor of the Virgin Islands, Augustus J. U. Jaspert, who had said the Virgin Islands should not look forward to reparations for slavery as it was not a consideration of the UK and that names of landmarks in honour of slave owners and facilitators of slavery be preserved in the VI.

After slavery was abolished, the UK government pledged £20 million in order to reimburse the owners of slaves. It took that country 182 years to pay that debt which they finished paying in 2015.

To date, the victims of slavery and their descendants have never received reparations.

The toppling of the statues brings to memory the insensitive and even ‘racist’ statement by ex-controversial governor of the Virgin Islands, Augustus J. U. Jaspert, who had said the Virgin Islands should not look forward to reparations for slavery as it was not a consideration of the UK and that names of landmarks in honour of slave owners and facilitators of slavery be preserved in the VI.


System of control?


After many commentators had been calling for places in the VI named after slave traders, thieves and murders, to be renamed, Mr Jaspert, in an interview with 284 Media on September 7, 2021, indicated that he shared a difference in opinion, which is to preserve the names of landmarks that were named after the very people, like Sir Francis Drake, who inflicted decades of harm and suffering on the ancestors of Virgin Islanders and other Caribbean people.

“I think it’s really important that people are taught the history and taught to understand… a specific name change maybe takes it away, rather actually explaining and making sure that people understand what these various different symbols, names and places meant and understand the full history around them.”

Many Virgin Islanders took offence to Governor Jaspert’s insensitive stance and calls were even made for him to apologise; however, Mr Jaspert never did.

After the UK government supported Mr Jaspert’s position, Premier Andrew A. Fahie (R1) commented: “Whenever persons tell you to remember anything negative, it’s a matter of control. If you do anything wrong as a child, and you try to do it again, your parents tell you ‘remember what happened last time?’ and you get frightened right away. It’s a subliminal message of control.”

Mr Jaspert departed these shores days after calling a Commission of Inquiry into the Government of the Virgin Islands, who he was known to be antagonistic towards and reportedly tried to bully.

The CoI was also announced via a press release on Martin Luther King Jr Day, a day observed by many in the VI due to their close ties with the United States.

Many have seen this as yet another act of being insensitive towards the descendants of slaves in the VI.

Black Lives Matter demonstrators tore down a statue of slave trader Edward Colston and threw it into a harbour during a protest in the city of Bristol, United Kingdom, on June 7, 2020.


Indigenous children suffered during UK reign in Canada


More than 150,000 indigenous Canadian children were taken from their families and forced to attend the schools during the 19th and 20th Centuries with the aim of forcibly assimilating them into society.

An estimated 6,000 children died while attending these schools. Students were often housed in poorly built, poorly heated and unsanitary facilities.

A group of protesters had marched on the Manitoba Legislature as part of a demonstration against the deaths of indigenous Canadian children at residential schools.

British monarch from 1837 until her death in 1901, Queen Victoria was on the throne during the founding of the Canadian confederation. The British Crown negotiated treaties with indigenous First Nations in Canada and the government enacted its residential schools policy during her reign.

It is believed Edward Colston sold about 100,000 west African people in the Caribbean and the Americas between 1672 and 1689 and it was through this company that Colston made the bulk of his fortune, using profits to move into money lending.


Colonialism still being felt in Canada- Residential school survivor


A survivor of a residential school, Belinda Vandenbroeck, told Canadian broadcaster CBC she felt no remorse about the toppling of the statue, which she had had no part in.

"She [Queen Victoria] means nothing to me except that her policies and her colonialism is what is dictating us right to this minute as you and I speak," Ms Vandenbroeck said.

Symbols of empire, colonialism and slavery have been targeted by protesters at demonstrations against racial injustice across the globe in the past year. Those demonstrations exploded worldwide following the death of African-American man George Floyd in May 2020.

Relics of slavery torn down in US & UK


Last year, several prominent statues of Confederate leaders and slave owners were torn down and vandalised in the US, generating heated debate about monuments.

Similar scenes were seen in the UK, where Black Lives Matter demonstrators tore down a statue of slave trader Edward Colston and threw it into a harbour during a protest in the city of Bristol.

Newsletter

Related Articles

Beautiful Virgin Islands
0:00
0:00
Close
Macron and Merz: Europe must arm itself in an unstable world
Germany and Italy Under Pressure to Repatriate $245bn of Gold from US Vaults
Airlines Evaluate Flight Cancellations Amid Escalating US-Iran Tensions
Starmer Invites Innovators to Join Government Talent Scheme
UK Economy’s Strong Opening Quarter Shows Signs of Cooling
Harrods Seeks Court Order to Secure Al Fayed Estate for Victims
BA and Singapore Airlines Cancel Dubai Flights Amid Middle East Tensions
Trump Faces Backlash from MAGA Base Over Iran Strikes
Meta Bets $14 B on Alexandr Wang to Drive AI Ambitions
WATCH: Israeli forces show the aftermath of a massive airstrike at Iran's Isfahan nuclear site
FedEx Founder Fred Smith, ‘Heart and Soul’ of the Company, Dies at 80
Chinese Factories Shift Away from U.S. Amid Trump‑Era Tariffs
Pimco Seizes Opportunity in Japan’s Dislocated Bond Market
Labubu Doll Drives Pop Mart to Status as China’s Most Valuable Toy Maker
Global Coal Demand Defies Paris Accord Goals
We have new information and breaking details to share about what is shaping up to be a historic air campaign tonight
Six Massive Bombs Dropped on Fordow; Trump: 'A Historic Moment for the U.S., Israel, and the World'
Fordow: Deeply Buried Iranian Enrichment Site in U.S.–Israel Crosshairs
United States Conducts Precision Strikes on Iran’s Nuclear Sites
US strikes Iran nuclear sites, Trump says
Pakistan to nominate Trump for Nobel Peace Prize.
BBC Demands Perplexity AI Immediately Stop Using Its Content
Telegram Founder: I Will Leave My Fortune to Over 100 of My Children
Political Turmoil Resurfaces in Belgium Amid Economic Concerns
Fed policymakers divided on timing of interest rate cuts
Trump signals imminent agreement with Harvard University
Inheritance tax referendum alarms Swiss billionaire community
Japan cancels bilateral security meeting amid US defence demands
AI skeptic Emily Bender warns that ‘the emperor has no clothes’
Israel Confirms Assassination of Quds Force Commander in Tehran
16 Billion Login Credentials Leaked in Unprecedented Cybersecurity Breach
Senate hearing on who was 'really running' Biden White House kicks off
Iranian Military Officers Reportedly Seek Contact with Reza Pahlavi, Signal Intent to Defect
FBI and Senate Investigate Allegations of Chinese Plot to Influence the 2020 Election in Biden’s Favor Using Fake U.S. Driver’s Licenses
Vietnam Emerges as Luxury Yacht Destination for Ultra‑Rich
Plans to Sell Dutch Embassy in Bangkok Face Local Opposition
China's Iranian Oil Imports Face Disruption Amid Escalating Middle East Tensions
Trump's $5 Million 'Trump Card' Visa Program Draws Nearly 70,000 Applicants
DGCA Finds No Major Safety Concerns in Air India's Boeing 787 Fleet
Airlines Reroute Flights Amid Expanding Middle East Conflict Zones
Elon Musk's xAI Seeks $9.3 Billion in Funding Amid AI Expansion
Trump Demands Iran's Unconditional Surrender Amid Escalating Conflict
Israeli Airstrike Targets Iranian State TV in Central Tehran
President Trump is leaving the G7 summit early and has ordered the National Security Council to the Situation Room
Taiwan Imposes Export Ban on Chips to Huawei and SMIC
Israel has just announced plans to strike Tehran again, and in response, Trump has urged people to evacuate
Netanyahu Signals Potential Regime Change in Iran
Juncker Criticizes EU Inaction on Trump Tariffs
EU Proposes Ban on New Russian Gas Contracts
Analysts Warn Iran May Resort to Unconventional Warfare
×