The 22nd anniversary of the Ecole Polytechnique Massacre, or Montreal Massacre, occurred yesterday (Dec. 6) and there was a ceremony at city hall to remember those who lost their lives during the tragedy.
The event is also referred to as National Day of Remembrance and Action on Violence Against Women.
Someone mentioned to me during my college years that it’s even more tragic that people more than likely remember the killer’s name and yet would likely be hard-pressed to remember the names of the people who were killed.
The killer was said to be “fighting feminism” and as a result, engineering students Genevieve Bergeron, Helene Colgan, Nathalie Croteau, Barbara Daigneault, Anne-Marie Edward, Maud Haviernick, Maryse Laganiere, Maryse Leclair, Anne-Marie Lemay, Sonia Pelletier, Michele Richard, Annie St-Arneault, Annie Turcotte and Barbara Klucznik-Widajewicz were all shot and killed – a number of other people were injured in the shooting spree but weren’t killed.
The killer also took the cowardly way out and shot and killed himself.
How seriously do people take issues regarding violence against women?
Are people even aware it was the National Day of Remembrance and Action on Violence Against Women?
It would be interesting to find out how many people in Grand Forks, the province and even the country took a moment of silence at around noon on Dec. 6 to remember those that lost their lives.
People pause for a moment on Remembrance Day to remember veterans that lost their lives and while there are differences between soldiers that went to war and the victims, there are some parallels too if you think about it.
Some say there are times of senseless killing during war and the women at the Montreal polytechnical institute were senselessly killed.
Soldiers sacrificed their lives in the name of freedom and the sacrifice of the lives of the victims has raised awareness about violence against women.
Both lost their lives in tragic ways and deserve to be remembered.