Sir John A. Macdonald statue covered in red paint

Red paint, including handprints, and the words genocidal murderer" were smeared on the controversial statue of Sir John A. Macdonald at Gore Park overnight.

This is not the first time the statue has been vandalized, amid growing calls to have it removed.

Macdonald was Canada's first prime minister from 1867 to 1873 and again from 1878 to 1891. During that time he played a prominent role in establishing residential schools, which saw Indigenous children removed from their families and sent to government and church-run institutions. Thousands of children were abused and died.

The calls to remove monuments to Macdonald and other architects of the residential school system have grown since the discovery, using ground-penetrating radar, of the remains of 215 children on the grounds of a former residential school in Kamloops, B.C.

Soon after, 751 unmarked graves were uncovered near the site of another former residential school in Saskatchewan.

Opponents have argued history should not be erased and the statue should remain, perhaps with updated signage or additional monuments to Indigenous children or leaders.

The bronze statue in Gore Park dates back to 1893, two years after Macdonald died.

The Hamilton police central criminal investigation branch is investigating the vandalism.

Police said it's believed to have happened sometime early morning.

Police processed the scene" Wednesday morning, including photographing evidence.

The statue has since been cleaned.

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