Statue of Queen Victoria defaced

The statue of Queen Victoria, in the compound of the High Court, has been defaced. It appears that someone threw a bucket of red paint.

The act comes a few days after Guyana celebrated its 52nd anniversary of Independence from Great Britain.

The statue was commissioned in 1887 to mark the Golden Jubilee and was unveiled in 1894. Over the years, the statue has been a source of conflict and it is not sure who or what was responsible for the latest act.

The statue’s head and left hand were blown off in 1954 during anti-colonial protests, and when Guyana became a Republic in 1970, then Prime Minister Forbes Burnham had it removed and it was placed in the Botanic Gardens.

The statue was however restored to the compound of the High Court in 1990.