Let's stop violence in Canada!
Christian survivors of boarding schools call for an end to the vandalism plaguing the country
In recent weeks, local riots have erupted in various places in Canada time and again: disgruntled people set churches on fire, toppled statues of British queens and staged protest marches. Eyewitnesses managed to film two women throwing orange paint at St. Jude's Catholic parish near Renfrew Street and 15th Avenue in Vancouver. And this is just one form of pronounced vandalism that is gaining momentum, with two Anglican and four Catholic churches in British Columbia alone recently burned to the ground.
Christians and some Indigenous people in Canada who once managed to survive in Catholic residential schools now criticize the burning and defacing of churches. They warn that the violence further divides Indigenous people and the rest of Canadian society, as well as the country's government, police and religious institutions.
Condemnation of riots
Cheryl Delores Gunargi O'Sullivan, one of the survivors of a Catholic boarding school, condemns the rebellious behaviour of Canadians, calling it destructive: "These actions cause us more trauma and do not show solidarity. They won't help us rebuild our relationship with religion, with the government, or even with the police. All of this needs to stop so that we can focus on the children we have yet to find."
Vandalism and suspicious fires began in the country immediately after the discovery of graves containing the remains of children in British Columbia and Saskatchewan. It is well known that these gruesome discoveries are directly linked to Canada's system of Catholic boarding schools, which educated indigenous children in the last century.
The best way to express solidarity is to stop hate
Jenn Allan, daughter and niece of residential school survivors, observed that some of the survivors of those dark years remained Catholic. However, with the burning of their churches, places of worship, they received a new mental trauma.
According to Allaan, "Burning and destroying churches brings more strife, depression and anxiety to those who are already in pain and grief. Survivors in Canadian residential schools are shocked by the sight of burning and defaced churches. Such events remind them of past violence and threats. The feelings of these people are severely traumatized. All of this only leads to a further division between Indigenous peoples in Canada and the rest of Canadian society.
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