Some of the organizers of this past weekend’s peaceful protest at the Edward Cornwallis statuewere ejected from Tuesday’s Halifax City Council meeting.
Saturday’s protest brought hundreds of people to the Halifax park where the Cornwallis statue stands. Demonstrators had planned to remove the statue, but the monument was instead covered by a large tarp.
City council says it will study whether the Cornwallis monument should be removed.
Mayor Mike Savage read a statement from protest organizers at Tuesday’s meeting.
Some of the protest organizers attending the meeting began questioning council from the gallery, prompting their removal from chambers.
Savage says he and council are dedicated to becoming more inclusive, but there's a protocol to raising all issues with any level of government.
"There's no legislative body where you can just come and make your voices heard from the gallery,” says Savage.
Savage says protesters are often removed from the House of Commons.
“Protest is a normal, really important part of democracy, but there always has to be some method of moving forward on these things,” Savage said. “That's what we're trying to do."
The Edward Cornwallis statue was erected in 1931. The Halifax founder’s legacy has come under fire from some First Nations groups, who say he waged war on the Mi’kmaq and called for their extermination.
