Remembering the Women of Ecole Polytechnique
December 6th, 2020 is the National day of remembrance of the Ecole Polytech massacre that occurred 31 years ago. It also happens to be the National Day of Violence Against Women. On December 6th, 1989, 14 women were senselessly killed by a man who I will not name due to the fact that I believe it is far more important to remember the victims and their names are the ones who truly count. He thought it was the ultimate betrayal that women could possibly be in engineering, a “man’s career,” when he could not. He had applied to the program multiple times for admission, but to no avail. On that fateful day, he walked into the school with an armed rifle and hunting knife, and a goal to hurt as many women as possible.
When he reached the classroom, he ordered men and women to opposite sides of the room and then told the men to leave. He declared that he hated feminism, and after some women tried to reason with him, specifically telling him that they were not feminists, he refused. He made his way through the building while claiming more victims, a few more classrooms, the registrar’s office, and cafeteria before ending his own life 20 minutes after the brutal attacks began.
The man grew up in a household where violence against women was a normal daily occurrence. His suicide note stated that women try to take too many rights away from men and they must be reclaimed. He also praised another man who had gone on a killing spree of women before him, as he believed these attacks against women were needed for men to gain back their rights that women’s freedom has taken from them.
This attack eventually created stricter gun laws in Canada and an increased awareness of violence against women. Unfortunately, women are still abused and killed by men. There are anti-feminist groups, people who prey specifically on women. We must stand together and hold each other up and remember the victims. The perpetrators want to be remembered as heroes, but we will not give anyone that satisfaction. The real heroes are the women who entered traditionally male-dominated careers, and because of that had their lives taken from them, and we will continue to remember them.
December 6th, universities across the country hold a special ceremony to remember the victims, although this year is different due to the pandemic. The University of Windsor has a beautiful memorial dedicated to the victims between Dillion and Essex Hall. The next time you are on campus, take a look and take a minute to remember the victims and remember that women are still fighting against acts of violence every day. It is an important day in our history to remember the women lost, not just from this attack but all women who have lost their lives at the hands of men.
These are the names of the 14 women who died that day simply for being women. Let’s say their names and remember them.
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Geneviève Bergeron – civil engineering student
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Hélène Colgan – mechanical engineering student
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Nathalie Croteau – mechanical engineering student
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Barbara Daigneault – mechanical engineering student
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Anne-Marie Edward – chemical engineering student
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Maud Haviernick – materials engineering student
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Maryse Laganière – budget clerk in the École Polytechnique’s finance department
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Maryse Leclair – materials engineering student
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Anne-Marie Lemay – mechanical engineering student
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Sonia Pelletier – mechanical engineering student
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Michèle Richard – materials engineering student
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Annie St-Arneault – mechanical engineering student
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Annie Turcotte – materials engineering student
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Barbara Klucznik-Widajewicz – nursing student