Queen Victoria statue in Victoria Park vandalized again (update)
Posted May 5, 2022 08:23:00 PM.
The Queen Victoria statue has been vandalized in Kitchener's Victoria Park for the third time in less than a year.
The latest incident was reported to police on Thursday morning, although police believe the vandalism occurred sometime overnight.
Anyone with information is asked to contact police at 519-570-9777 or Crime Stoppers at 1-800-222-8477. Anonymous tips can also be submitted online by visiting www.
The statue was painted red twice in 2021 — on Canada Day and again in August.
There were calls for the City of Kitchener to either remove the statue or keep the red paint on. Instead, the city installed two plaques, acknowledging the harms of colonialism and stating that the statue “may” contribute to that ongoing harm.
Photos show the plaques were also splattered with red paint in the most recent incident.
In a statement to CityNews 570, the City of Kitchener said for the time being — staff do not have plans to remove the red paint from the statue.
The rest of the statement can be found below.
“Reconciliation is a priority for the City of Kitchener and we understand the impact and harm of colonial statues in public places and the colonial legacy they represent.
This is especially important today as we mark Red Dress Day – the National Day of Awareness for Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women, Girls & People.
We continue to work with municipal partners and local Indigenous, racialized and marginalized communities to move towards reconciliation and a more equitable city.
This includes making decisions about our statues, place names and more.”
