Trudeau condemns toppling of statue

Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau on Monday condemned the weekend toppling of a statue of Canada's first prime minister in Montreal by anti-racism activists, saying a focus on improving society today, and not historical wrongs, will best advance the fight for equality.

John A. Macdonald was prime minister of Canada for 19 years between 1867-90, and has been applauded by historians for nation building but also criticized for the forced assimilation of indigenous peoples, described in a 2015 commission's report as "cultural genocide."

His bronze likeness, erected in the downtown Montreal park in 1895, has often been targeted by vandals over the years, but on Saturday a group of hundreds protesting against racism and police brutality tore the statue off its pedestal and decapitated it.

AFP