"It was really quite a moving and profound gathering and ceremony, just a sea of orange downtown to reflect on the painful legacy of the residential school system in Canada," said Victoria Police Department spokesperson Cam MacIntyre. At about 8 p.m., some people started breaking off from the gathering and marched toward the statue on the 700-block of Government Street, he added. Once they arrived, the statue was pulled down and thrown into the water. Protesters cheer as they toss a statue of Capt. James Cook into Victoria, B.C.'s Inner Harbour on July 1, 2021.(Climate Justice Victoria/Twitter) In addition to sailing to Australia, New Zealand and throughout the Pacific, Cook is known for landing on the west coast of Vancouver Island in 1778. He anchored in Nootka Sound before continuing an expedition to search for the Northwest Passage. He was unsuccessful in that effort and died in Hawaii the following year during a dispute with islanders.