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New Westminster has removed a controversial statue of Justice Matthew Begbie, B.C.’s first chief justice who sentenced six Indigenous leaders to death in 1864.

The statue, which was located outside the provincial courthouse on Carnarvon Street in Begbie Square, was taken down Saturday. City council voted in May to remove the statue, calling it a symbol of the colonial era and a grave injustice.

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The motion was put forward by city councillors Nadine Nakagawa and Chuck Puchmayr, who pointed out the province of B.C. has apologized for the hangings and exonerated the chiefs.

Photo by Matt Flemming / PNG

The motion states that the execution of the six Tsilhqot’in Chiefs was used as a threat to all Indigenous people attempting to defend their land.

The city now plans to engage in a conversation with the Tsilhqot’in Nation about the history and legacy of Judge Begbie and the impact his decisions had on generations of their people.