Downing Street condemns toppling of the Queen and Queen Victoria statues in Canada

US Correspondent Emma Murphy explains why the statues have been toppled and takes a look at the darker elements of Canada's past

Downing Street has condemned the toppling of statues of the Queen and Queen Victoria in Canada during protests over the discovery of unmarked graves belonging to indigenous children.

From the 19th century until the 1970s, more than 150,000 Indigenous children were forced to attend state-funded Christian boarding schools in an effort to assimilate them into Canadian society.

Thousands of children died of disease and other causes, with many never returned to their families.

The discovery of human remains in unmarked graves – 182 of which were found just on Wednesday – near the sites of former residential schools sparked fury ahead of Canada Day on Thursday.

Some marked the day, which commemorates the anniversary of the Canadian Confederation, by bringing down a statue of the monarchs in Winnipeg, chanting “no pride in genocide”.

A No 10 spokesman said: “We obviously condemn any defacing of statues of the Queen.

“Our thoughts are with Canada’s indigenous community following these tragic discoveries and we follow these issues closely and continue to engage with the government of Canada with indigenous matters.”

The latest discovery of graves near Cranbrook, British Columbia, follows reports of similar findings at two other church-run schools, one of more than 600 unmarked graves and another of 215 bodies.

The Lower Kootenay Band said it began using ground-penetrating radar last year to search the site close to the former St Eugene’s Mission School, which was operated by the Roman Catholic Church from 1912 until the early 1970s.

It said the search found the remains in unmarked graves, some about 3ft deep.

It is believed the remains are those of people from the bands of the Ktunaxa nation, which includes the Lower Kootenay Band, and other neighbouring First Nation communities.

Chief Jason Louie of the Lower Kootenay Band, which is also a member of the Ktunaxa Nation, called the discovery “deeply personal” since he had relatives who attended the school.

Chief Perry Bellegarde from the Assembly of First Nations National said on Thursday the findings are a "validation" of what survivors have long been claiming

“Let’s call this for what it is,” he told CBC radio in an interview. “It’s a mass murder of Indigenous people.”

“The Nazis were held accountable for their war crimes.

"I see no difference in locating the priests and nuns and the brothers who are responsible for this mass murder to be held accountable for their part in this attempt of genocide of an Indigenous people.”