On December 6, 1989, I was 5 years old. But I had no idea that something horrible happened on that winter day. I was too young to notice anything like that...
This day is a dark day in the Québec History. The École Polytechnique Massacre, also known as the Montreal Massacre, occurred on December 6, 1989 at the École Polytechnique (Montréal, Québec). (The École Polytechnique is an engineering university. My older brother went there and graduated in 2006.)
« Twenty-five-year-old Marc Lépine, armed with a legally obtained Mini-14 rifle and a hunting knife, shot twenty-eight people before killing himself. He began his attack by entering a classroom at the university, where he separated the male and female students. After claiming that he was "fighting feminism", he shot all nine women in the room, killing six. He then moved through corridors, the cafeteria, and another classroom, specifically targeting women to shoot. Overall, he killed fourteen women and injured ten other women and four men in just under twenty minutes before turning the gun on himself. Lépine was the child of a French-Canadian mother and an Algerian father, and had been physically abused by his father. His suicide note claimed political motives and blamed feminists for ruining his life. The note included a list of nineteen Quebec women whom Lépine considered to be feminists and apparently wished to kill. »
This was a horrible tragedy, what else can I say... The province of Québec didn't forget what happened.... Each year, there is a commemoration for the 14 victims... 21 years later, they are not forgotten... The memory lives on... White ribbons, symbol of the struggle to stop violence against women, are worn by everybody on that day... Any kind of violence should not been allowed...

Wow I had never heard about this tragedy! What a sad day in Canada's history
ReplyDeleteI've heard about this a bunch of times...a college professor of mine is actually writing a book about it..she did all the research, went there, talked to families..SO SAD...such a tragic event! Violence against women and anyone else for that matter should NOT be tolerated. Thanks for sharing!
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Thank-you so much for posting! It's so important that we as Canadians remember this day. It really wasn't that long ago, when you think about it.
ReplyDeleteOh wow that's awful :( Something similar happened in the U.S. in the state of Colorado called the Columbine shootings a few years back. It's so sad when tragedies like that happen!
ReplyDeleteAnd yes I unfortunately was required to take that class for my major but I am glad it's over now! Oooh and I like the DVD and tickets idea. I might be able to get him tickets to a good local concert or something like that. Thanks so much for the ideas girl!
I never heard about this until now. What a tragedy! Thanks for sharing and teaching me something new.
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