Queen Victoria statue in Victoria Park vandalized a second time (update)
Posted Aug 15, 2021 03:45:00 PM.
Police are investigating after the statue of Queen Victoria in Kitchener’s Victoria Park has been doused with red paint – along with the message “Every Child Matters.”
This comes after a statue of Sir John A. Macdonald was toppled at the Indigenous Freedom Rally in Hamilton Saturday.
This is the second time the statue has been vandalized with red paint. The first time was on Canada Day 2021.
Police believe it happened sometime overnight on Saturday.
Anyone with information is encouraged to call police at 519-570-9777 or Crime Stoppers at 1-800-222-8477. Anonymous tips can also be submitted online by visiting www.waterloocrimestoppers.com.
Meantime, City of Kitchener staff are responding to repair the damage, and mention the paint will be removed by Tuesday.
The total cost of removal is about $2000, which includes labour, equipment, and supplies.
On July 7, city staff cleaned the statue after paint was splashed on it then.
One local resident Katie said the dousing of the statue is a “wake-up call” for those in the park – effective for starting discourse.
“I don’t think most people that live in Canada are well aware of the history…”
Katie’s been sitting nearby, gauging reactions of onlookers. pic.twitter.com/J9yfWCEVCF
— Luke Schulz (@lukeontheradio) August 15, 2021
