Queen Victoria Is Not Hitler or Stalin, and It Matters

Queen Victoria Is Not Hitler or Stalin, and It Matters
A vandalized statue of Queen Victoria lies on the ground at the provincial legislature in Winnipeg on July 2, 2021. The statue and one of Queen Elizabeth II were toppled on Canada Day during demonstrations concerning indigenous children who died at residential schools. The Canadian Press/Kelly Geraldine Malone
John Robson
Updated:
Commentary

When people vandalize a statue, for instance of Queen Victoria, I confess to a malevolent urge to leave it there as a squalid monument to their utopian vision, as it once was a dignified one to the society they repudiate. It would just make things worse in a “broken windows” manner, encouraging disorder and despair. But we seem to be going that way anyway.

John Robson
John Robson
Author
John Robson is a documentary filmmaker, National Post columnist, senior fellow at the Aristotle Foundation, contributing editor to the Dorchester Review, and executive director of the Climate Discussion Nexus. His most recent documentary is “The Environment: A True Story.”
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