Toronto man facing mischief charges after John A. Macdonald statue takedown in Hamilton

A Toronto manhas been arrested by Hamilton police inconnectionto the takedown of a Sir John A. Macdonald statue in Hamilton.

Hundreds of people attended a rally at Hamilton City Hall on the weekendto protest city council's decision last month not to remove it.

Attendees marched through downtown ending at the site of the statue in Gore Park, located in the city's core.

A person climbed on top of the statueand tied a rope around the statue's neck before a handful of people pulled it down.

The statue wasspit on, spray-painted and its nose was sawed off.

Officers monitored the event but didn't make arrests at the scene.

Miguel Martin Avila-Valarde, 56,is now charged withmischief over $5,000.

Policesay hewas released with conditionsand will appear in court at a later date.

"The investigation is ongoing and Hamilton Police anticipate laying further charges," read a statement from police.

The service previously said officers were looking to identifythree other suspects.

The eventsoccurredjust over a month after council's decision not to remove the statue, despitemorethan 1,000public correspondences in favour of its removaland suggestionsfrom somecouncillors to move itwhilethe city conducts areview of landmarks and monuments. (The reviewalso includesparks and street names.)

Macdonald is considered an architect of Canada's residential school system, which snatchedIndigenous children from their families and tried to assimilate them. Thelast schoolclosed in the mid-1990s and in past months,hundreds of unmarked graves have been detected at the sites offormer residential schools in Canada.

The mayor condemned the incident, while anorganizer of therally said the event and statue's subsequent removalisjust the "tip of the iceberg" toward Indigenous reconciliation.