Statue of Emily Murphy in Edmonton vandalized with red paint

EDMONTON (CityNews) — Another statue in Edmonton was covered in paint this week as opponents continue to show their displeasure with sometimes polarizing historical figures.

A statue of feminist icon Emily Murphy, located in Edmonton’s River Valley, was covered in red paint on Monday. The word “racist” was scrawled across the bottom of the statue.

Murphy was part of the group of Canadian feminists The Famous Five. She was heralded as a leader of a movement that successfully lobbied to have laws changed so that women were viewed as people under the eyes of British rule.

But Murphy supported eugenics. The Canadian Encyclopedia explains that during her time as a judge, she influenced the passing of Alberta’s Sexual Sterilization Act in 1928, which targeted those deemed mentally deficient. Many of them were Indigenous women.

Earlier this summer a statue of Pope John Paul II in downtown Edmonton was covered in paint following the discovery of graves on the site of former residential schools. A statue of Winston Churchill was also vandalized.

The Edmonton Arts council was responsible for the clean-up of both the Churchill and Murphy statues. They estimate the cost was around $1,200 each and it took an hour and a half.