Cleanup of Queen Victoria Statue begins

One day after someone defaced the statue of Queen Victoria with red paint, cleanup works have commenced to restore the monument to its true character.

Early Tuesday morning, workmen were scraping off the paint that had stained more than 50% of the statue, which is located in the compound of the High Court.

The workmen told News Room that they anticipate the monument will be restored by tomorrow.

The vandalism of the monument 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 returned to the compound of the High Court in 1990.