Statue of Queen Elizabeth is DECAPITATED in British Columbia dailymail.co.uk - get the latest breaking news, showbiz & celebrity photos, sport news & rumours, viral videos and top stories from dailymail.co.uk Daily Mail and Mail on Sunday newspapers.
“It’s sad because it’s quite a good statue,” said local writer and historian Janis Ringuette. “Many don’t notice it because it’s hiding in the foliage. But a few months ago, someone put a disposable mask on it. It stayed for a while. That was kind of neat, because it didn’t hurt her and it’s part of what’s happening now.” In her book Beacon Hill Park History, Ringuette wrote that the bronze bust erected in the park in 1962 was actually the second bust made of the Queen, a replacement for a concrete version that suffered similar indignities.
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The statueâs desecration occurred at roughly the same time that City of Victoria bylaw offices were vandalized with graffiti reading âSupport Beacon Hillâ and âStop Lying.â
The beheaded statue is adjacent to a massive homeless encampment that has cropped up in Beacon Hill Park following the closure of downtown shelters by COVID-19 restrictions.
The growing tent city has coincided with a marked rise in local crime, including a full-fledged âbicycle chop shopâ that was found operating within the park. More recently, it has been connected to a series of violent attacks on City of Victoria bylaw officers.