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| Shortly after 5 a.m., Lépine entered the École Polytechnique, an engineering school affiliated with the ]. He first went into a mechanical engineering class, forced the men out at gunpoint, and opened fire on the women who remained. Lépine continued his rampage in other parts of the building, opening fire on other students and staff. He killed 14 women (12 engineering students, one nursing student and one employee of the university), injured 13 other people including at least 4 men, and ultimately turned the rifle on himself, committing suicide. | Shortly after 5 a.m., Lépine entered the École Polytechnique, an engineering school affiliated with the ]. He first went into a mechanical engineering class, forced the men out at gunpoint, and opened fire on the women who remained. Lépine continued his rampage in other parts of the building, opening fire on other students and staff. He killed 14 women (12 engineering students, one nursing student and one employee of the university), injured 13 other people including at least 4 men, and ultimately turned the rifle on himself, committing suicide. | ||
| Lépine claimed his attack was justified by his anger about ], which he believed had kept him from claiming his 'rightful place' at the engineering school, and more generally on the women's movement itself and other changes in society through which women were increasingly entering the workforce |
Lépine claimed his attack was justified by his anger about ], which he believed had kept him from claiming his 'rightful place' at the engineering school, and more generally on the women's movement itself and other changes in society through which women were increasingly entering the workforce. Lépine had studied at several CEGEPs and had performed well in his classes over a period of several years but never actually graduated from any CEGEP he attended. | ||
| Lépine left a note blaming feminists for ruining his life and outlining his reasons for making this attack, mentioning also ], who had mounted a political attack in 1984 on members of the Quebec National Assembly. The only version of that suicide letter available is the one leaked to feminist ] a year afterwards, translated into English by her, and published in the press. | Lépine left a note blaming feminists for ruining his life and outlining his reasons for making this attack, mentioning also ], who had mounted a political attack in 1984 on members of the Quebec National Assembly. The only version of that suicide letter available is the one leaked to feminist ] a year afterwards, translated into English by her, and published in the press. | ||
Revision as of 21:42, 17 December 2006
The École Polytechnique massacre, otherwise known as the Montreal Massacre, occurred on December 6, 1989, at the École Polytechnique de Montréal in Montreal, Quebec. Marc Lépine entered the campus and carried out a shooting rampage that killed 14 women as well as wounding 13 other people, before committing suicide shortly after. All who died were women. The wounded survivors included mostly women but also a few men.
The massacre
Shortly after 5 a.m., Lépine entered the École Polytechnique, an engineering school affiliated with the Université de Montréal. He first went into a mechanical engineering class, forced the men out at gunpoint, and opened fire on the women who remained. Lépine continued his rampage in other parts of the building, opening fire on other students and staff. He killed 14 women (12 engineering students, one nursing student and one employee of the university), injured 13 other people including at least 4 men, and ultimately turned the rifle on himself, committing suicide.
Lépine claimed his attack was justified by his anger about affirmative action, which he believed had kept him from claiming his 'rightful place' at the engineering school, and more generally on the women's movement itself and other changes in society through which women were increasingly entering the workforce. Lépine had studied at several CEGEPs and had performed well in his classes over a period of several years but never actually graduated from any CEGEP he attended.
Lépine left a note blaming feminists for ruining his life and outlining his reasons for making this attack, mentioning also Denis Lortie, who had mounted a political attack in 1984 on members of the Quebec National Assembly. The only version of that suicide letter available is the one leaked to feminist Francine Pelletier a year afterwards, translated into English by her, and published in the press.
Aftermath
Many of the students and support staff who had been present at the time later suffered from post traumatic stress disorder.
The massacre profoundly shocked citizens across Canada. The Quebec government and the Montreal city government declared three days of mourning. The day of the attack, television journalist Barbara Frum interviewed survivors; she later framed this as a crime against humanity and not simply as a matter of violence against women.
The massacre served as a major spur for the Canadian feminist movement and for activism opposing violence against women. December 6 is now observed as a memorial day in Canada, especially in Montreal. In 1991 Parliament officially designated December 6 as the National Day of Remembrance and Action on Violence Against Women. A white or purple ribbon is used as a symbol for December 6 memorials.
The massacre also provided fresh stimulus for the Canadian gun control movement, resulting in the passage of stricter gun control legislation in 1995 (in the form of Bill C-68, passed as the Firearms Act). See Gun politics in Canada.
Murder victims
- Geneviève Bergeron (b. 1968), civil engineering student.
- Hélène Colgan (b. 1966), mechanical engineering student.
- Nathalie Croteau (b. 1966), mechanical engineering student.
- Barbara Daigneault (b. 1967) mechanical engineering student.
- Anne-Marie Edward (b. 1968), chemical engineering student.
- Maud Haviernick (b. 1960), materials engineering student.
- Maryse Laganière (b. 1964), budget clerk in the École Polytechnique's finance department.
- Maryse Leclair (b. 1966), materials engineering student.
- Anne-Marie Lemay (b. 1967), mechanical engineering student.
- Sonia Pelletier (b. 1961), mechanical engineering student.
- Michèle Richard (b. 1968), materials engineering student.
- Annie St-Arneault (b. 1966), mechanical engineering student.
- Annie Turcotte (b. 1969), materials engineering student.
- Barbara Klucznik-Widajewicz (b. 1958), nursing student.
Post-attack fatalities
Sarto Blais, who had been on campus that day, hanged himself in the following months. His parents subsequently also committed suicide.
An article published in La Presse on December 6, 2004, stated that one student, working part-time for Urgences Santé (Montreal's emergency medical service), was there studying in the cafeteria that day. He can be credited for helping victims, but he also ended his own life.
Marc Lépine
Main article: Marc LépineBorn Gamil Gharbi, Marc Lépine had been brought up by a French-Canadian mother and an Algerian father. His father was abusive towards Marc, his sister, and his mother. Marc's father, a Muslim, had wanted women to stay in traditional roles. After his parents divorced, Gharbi legally changed his name, first to Gamil Lépine, taking his mother's last name, later changing it to Marc Lépine, possibly in an attempt to fit into French-Canadian culture. This emphasis on Lépine's childhood as a cause of the killings has been disputed, namely, by Barbara Frum who questioned the notion that victims of child abuse necessarily go on to abuse others.
Place du 6-Décembre-1989
The Place du 6-Décembre-1989 in the Côte-des-Neiges/Notre-Dame-de-Grâce borough was established as a memorial to the massacre. Located at the corner of Decelles Avenue and Queen Mary Road, it includes the artwork Nef pour quatorze reines (Nave for 14 Queens) by Rose-Marie Goulet.
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Place du 6-Décembre-1989
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Nef pour quatorze reines, detail
See also
- Denis Lortie
- Concordia University massacre (August 24 1992)
- Dawson College shooting (September 13 2006)
- School shooting
References
External links
- CBC Digital Archives
- Crime Library
- Interview with Marc Lepine's mother
- Coroner's Report on the massacre
- Recent article on contemporary importance of the massacre