The statue of Queen Victoria on the front lawn of the Manitoba Legislative Building was toppled off its base Thursday afternoon.
According to posts on social media, the statue, doused in red paint, was pulled down by a group of people using what appears to be a long rope wrapped around the front.
Not long after, a statue of Queen Elizabeth II was also torn down.
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It had stood on the east side of the grounds near the Governor’s House.
Into the evening, people were stopping by to climb atop the downed statues, and to take pictures.
Winnipeg police say an investigation is ongoing and enforcement action will be taken at some point in the future.
A spokesperson says one person was arrested after police were called to the Legislative Grounds regarding a disturbance, however that was not connected to the statue being toppled.
Hundreds of people gathered on the legislative grounds Thursday to remember the more than 1,000 children recently discovered in unmarked graves at residential schools.
The statue, designed by British sculptor George Frampton, has been on the grounds of the legislative building since its unveiling in 1904. It depicts the queen seated on a throne holding an orb and a scepter.
-With files from Will Reimer
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