By Claudia Ionita
One man, a cold winter morning, fourteen victims. Friday, December 6th marked the 30th anniversary of an incident which shook the world through its cruelty: the Montreal massacre. While in the last few decades mass shootings have become the sort of tragedy that the world has started to become accustomed to, the Montreal case remains special. It was this shooting that highlighted a problem many have thought was of the past: woman-hating.
Sometime around 4 p.m. on December 6, 1989, a man named Marc Lépine arrived at the building of the École Polytechnique, Montreal University’s engineering school. Armed with a small hunting knife and a semi-automatic rifle, he proceeded to enter one of the classrooms, fired a warning shot at the ceiling then proceeded to divide the students into two groups of males and females. The 50 male students were allowed to leave, as Lépine’s focus was on hurting only one particular group of students: women. Out of the 9 female students he shot and killed 6, leaving 3 wounded. His reasoning, as he explained to the female students before opening fire, was simple: they were feminists. It didn’t matter whether they actually held any feminist beliefs or not, the simple fact that they were female and studying in a field for which Lépine had applied and been rejected from meant that they were inherently an enemy befitting of only one punishment: death. On that day the shooter killed a total of 14 women, injuring 14 other students as well before committing suicide.
For many, the attack came as a shock, an unpleasant wake-up call which reminded society at large that although women have made tremendous progress, these acquired liberties are still in danger of being rescinded. In this case, it was the actions of a singular individual that caused the tragedy. However, his beliefs that women do not belong in higher education, or STEM fields in general, is one shared by a disturbing number of men. Marc Lépine is viewed as a hero for instance by the incel community. A portmanteau term for “involuntary celibates” (men who are unable to find a female romantic or sexual partner despite desiring one), this word refers to men who are usually found lurking on online forums on websites such as Reddit and 4chan, where they describe oftentimes to a rather graphic extent their hatred for women. They praised the Candian shooter's action and further encouraged others to carry out similar attacks. Online subcommunities such as the incel one, lone-wolf attackers like Lépine or the 50 men who walked out instead of trying to save the lives of their female colleagues represent just one slice of the misogyny ridden cake that is society.
The attack that took place three decades ago showed that the world is still not fully safe for women. In a recent statement made on the massacre’s anniversary, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau admitted that women and girls “still face unacceptable and preventable violence”. Common sense, the rise fo movements such as #MeToo, and a quick look at statistics analysing crime rates paint an unfortunate story where women are still the victims of male violence. The question that arises then is why? Why do men take the lives of women? It is not an easy one to answer. Some men do indeed suffer from mental illnesses or have been abused throughout their lives as well, however that is not an excuse. The most common factor is simply hatred. Men who abuse or kill women are men who possess a strong and fundamental dislike of women. Like Lépin, some feel entitled to a specific education or occupation and feel that women are the potential threats for it. Most often, violence is used as a reminder, a way of keeping women forever aware of the fact that their ambition and achievements could all face a very swift end if a man deems so.
Even if progress is being made, it is important to remember that the battle towards equality and liberation has not been fully won yet. We must be aware of the past in order to be fully prepared for the challenges that the future has to bring.
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