Frog Lake Memorial vandalized

No information is yet available about the person or persons who spray painted an anti-police obscenity around the base of the Frog Lake Memorial earlier this week.

The graffiti reads “Land back” “All cops are c***s” and “f*** colonizers.” A large red circle with an ‘A’ inside it was also spray painted on the memorial.

“I don’t condone the action at all as vandalism is a crime,” said Frog Lake First Nation Chief Greg Desjarlais.

“Somebody’s trying to get attention, somebody didn’t get their way. Somebody’s upset with somebody, you know, it can be a series of different things,” he said.

The memorial is a national historic site which marks the location of the 1885 uprising that claimed the lives of nine settlers and resulted in the largest public execution in Canadian history. Eight First Nations men were tried without access to legal counsel and subsequently hanged.

Sgt. Dave Henry of the Elk Point RCMP called the vandalism “very disheartening.”

“This past year we have worked closely with Chief and Council to build a better working relationship. It has come a long way but obviously we have a ways to go,” said Henry.

He said it’s an example of “bad people doing bad things.”

“The good ones know that we’re there to support and protect. I just don’t want American style anarchy to come to Canada. We are better than that and we’re better than the destruction that that brings,” said Henry.

Calls and e-mails to the province and Parks Canada were not returned before press time.

With files from Michael Menzies and Chris Lapointe.