Canada: Queen Victoria statue torn down at protest over indigenous deaths

A famous statue of Queen Victoria has been torn down by demonstrators in Canada as outrage grows over the deaths of indigenous children at residential schools.

The protesters shouted as the statue at the legislature in Manitoba’s capital Winnipeg was toppled on Thursday.

A smaller statue of Queen Elizabeth II was likewise upended nearby.

Local media said police employed a stun gun to capture a man at the scene but the demonstration was mostly peaceful.

The toppling of the statues came on Canada Day, an annual celebration on 1 July that marks the country’s founding by British colonies in 1867.

More than 150,000 indigenous Canadian children were taken from their families and forced to attend schools during the 19th and 20th Centuries with the intention of forcibly assimilating them into society.

Municipalities across Canada cancelled celebrations and statues of figures involved with residential schools have been vandalised or removed.

In Winnipeg, thousands took to the streets to honour victims of residential schools and rally support for indigenous communities.