Queen Victoria statue at Manitoba Legislative Building vandalized

The well-known statue of Queen Victoria outside the Manitoba Legislature appears to have been the target of vandalism.

Winnipeg Graffiti Control workers were on scene Wednesday morning cleaning up the statue, which was covered in white paint.

The statue, designed by British sculptor George Frampton, has been on the legislative grounds since its unveiling in 1904. It depicts the queen seated on a throne holding an orb and a scepter.

Statues of controversial historical figures have been taken down or vandalized in locations around the world, as part of anti-racist protests.

A statue of Queen Victoria — also by Frampton — in Leeds, England, was defaced earlier this month, according to the BBC, with the words ‘coloniser’ and ‘racist’ painted on it.

In November 2019, a statue of Victoria was also vandalized in Montreal, by a group arguing that the reign of Queen Victoria is not something to be celebrated; that it has been “whitewashed in history books and popular media.”

At present, no person or group has claimed responsibility for the paint on the Winnipeg monument.

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