Anger over defacement of Terry Fox statue a reminder of his 'unique' legacy
CBC
The outpouring of condemnation over the defacement of the Terry Fox statue across from Parliament Hill in Ottawa this past weekend is a stark reminder of the "unique" legacy of the Canadian icon and just how revered he is more than 40 years after his Marathon of Hope and untimely death at age 22.
"Terry Fox is probably one of the most unique figures in Canadian history in terms of his ability to unite people," said Brad West, the mayor of Fox's hometown of Port Coquitlam, B.C.
"The way that he unites people in this country is probably unmatched."
The statue was defaced after anti-vaccine-mandate protesters converged on Parliament Hill over the weekend.
The figure was draped with a hockey cap on its head, a Canadian flag wrapped around its neck, an upside down Canadian flag hanging from its arm and a placard reading "Mandate Freedom" wedged under another arm.
People have taken to social media to express their outrage over what happened, and it has prompted many Canadians to say they are pledging money to the Terry Fox Foundation.
A spokeswoman for the Terry Fox Research Institute, the research arm of the Terry Fox Foundation, said they wouldn't comment on the incident or how much more had been raised in donations.
The Terry Fox Foundation did not respond to inquiries, but on the weekend, it tweeted that "Terry believed in science and gave his life to help others."
Police in Ottawa are investigating the defacement of the statue, along with allegations that protesters desecrated the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier at the National War Memorial by dancing on it during the protest.
West said Fox's legacy is revealed every year when millions of Canadians with different political beliefs and backgrounds all come together to participate in Terry Fox runs.
"What it's about is a belief that Terry Fox is above politics," West said. "People in this country can and should voice their opinion on different issues. But what they shouldn't do is try and use Terry Fox to make a political statement."
Darren Wark, one of Fox's cousins, who is a volunteer with the Terry Fox Foundation and one of the organizers of the Terry Fox Run in Victoria, B.C., said he would have thought that defacing a Fox statue was one of the lines you don't cross.
"As Canadians, we identify with certain things that are Canada: Rocky Mountains, the Great Lakes, the oceans. And you know, Terry is included in those great things that make up Canada," he said.
Fox was diagnosed with bone cancer at the age of 18, and had his right leg amputated above his knee in 1977. Running with his artificial leg, he became an iconic figure when he launched his Marathon of Hope in 1980, an epic cross-country trek to raise money for cancer research.
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