Facebook Instagram Twitter YouTube

27 Years After The Montreal Massacre, We Keep Fighting to End Violence Against Women

Tuesday, December 6th 2016 marks the 27th anniversary of the Montreal Massacre, where 14 female students of the École Polytechnique in Montreal were killed and another 10 women were injured by gunshot wounds. They were victims of a misogynistic attack by a student named Marc Lépine.

Facebook Twitter Share

Tuesday, December 6th 2016 marks the 27th anniversary of the Montreal Massacre, where 14 female students of the École Polytechnique in Montreal were killed and another 10 women were injured by gunshot wounds. They were victims of a misogynistic attack by a student named Marc Lépine. Four male students were also injured.

Marc Lépine broke into the classes at the university, demanded that the male students leave the room and opened fire against the female students while spouting anti-woman propaganda. He later committed suicide. This tragedy shocked the country and gained notoriety around the world not only due to the brutal nature of the attack or the number of victims, but also due to the clearly sexist basis of the brutal massacre. Despite the media and the conservative sectors attempt to deny it, this was a clear anti-woman attack.

In 1991, the Canadian parliament proclaimed the day of the massacre the “ National Day of Remembrance and Action Against Violence Against Women.” Since then, on this date the women’s movements in Canada organize demonstrations to honor the memory of the victims and to fight violence against women.

Born in Montreal, the shooter Marc Lépine (originally named Gamil Rodrigue Liass Gharbi) was born to a family in which gender-based violence was common practice. In a letter written on the day of the attack, Lépine left no doubt about his motivation for the massacre, which was to “put an end” to the feminists, to whom he refers as “virago” ( “j’ai décidé de mettre des bâtons dans les roues à ces viragos.”). “Virago” is a pejorative term used to call women “aggressive” and “masculine”. In the letter, he details his frustrated attempt to join the Canadian military and how the application made him delay the execution of his plan, demonstrating that the attack was premeditated.

At the time of the massacre, there were many attempts to blame the shooting on the killer’s mental health, his familial environment and professional failure. All of this analysis ignored all possible feminist interpretation of systemic sexism, making the shooting sound like an isolated, exceptional case. According to Melissa Blais in her study about sexism and the massacre many considered Lépine a mentally ill, poor, sick man. This made it possible to neutralize the political debate, preventing the shooting from being seen as one more case of violence against women.

Recently there have been many notable cases of violence and hatred against women, like the emblematic case of Jyoti Pandey, the Indian student who was murdered after being gang-raped and beaten by 6 men, the case of the Brazilian teenage girl who was gang-raped by 30 men or even the most recent case an Argentine girl was raped and then brutally tortured and killed. These cases and so many others happen everyday around the world. Women suffer and die due to the sexism and misogyny that is so deeply ingrained in our society. At the same time, we have had some very important examples of women who stood up against oppression. In Brazil, thousands took the streets against rape culture; in Argentina, thousands took the streets and even organized work stoppages under the banner #NiUnaMenos. Without a doubt, the only way to fight sexist violence is the organization of the women’s movements together with all the oppressed and exploited sectors of society. Only a movement with thousands of women who organize at each school, university and workplace to take the streets can fight the sexist oppression intrinsic to capitalism.

In memory of the victims of the “Montreal Massacre”, in solidarity with the friends and family that suffered and in solidarity with all the victims of gender-based violence, we will keep fighting to end violence against women in Canada, the United States, India, Brazil, Argentina and around the world.

Facebook Twitter Share

Gender & Sexuality

“We are your economy”: Trans Youth Walkout and Speak Out

The following is a speech by a young trans person as part of an action called for by NYC Youth for Trans Rights.

Tatiana Cozzarelli

March 20, 2023
Mexican president AMLO on the left with the female members of his cabinet. International Women's Day protesters on the right.

President AMLO’s Government Is Not Feminist

On March 8, Mexican president AMLO spoke cynically of his commitment to feminism. But the fight against gendered violence, militarization, and labor precarity will be fought by the masses, not the so-called “progressive” government in Mexico.

Barbara Funes

March 13, 2023
A sign drawn on a small whiteboard, in trans pride colors. Text: "CUNY Graduate Center and Professional Schools Workers for Trans Rights" Beneath the text is a chain of 9 smiling stick figures in different colors, all holding hands

CUNY Union Chapter Unanimously Passes Resolution in Support of Trans Rights

The Graduate Center chapter of PSC-CUNY, the faculty, staff, and graduate worker union of the City University of New York, passed a resolution pledging support to all workers fighting the anti-trans bills nationwide.

Olivia Wood

March 12, 2023

“We Won’t Go Down Without a Fight”: Trans Youth Walkout and Speak Out

The following is a speech by a student activist from NYC Youth for Trans Rights.

Raven Benjamin

March 11, 2023

MOST RECENT

“Lesser Evil” Biden Wants More Border Patrol Than MAGA Republicans

Over the weekend, Biden bragged about his support for even more resources than “MAGA Republicans.” to “secure the border” on Twitter. This is “lesser evilism” in action.

Molly Rosenzweig

March 28, 2023
Customers clear shelves of water Sunday at Fresh Grocer in West Philadelphia.

A Chemical Plant Just Poisoned Philadelphia’s Water: A First-Hand Account of the Crisis

A company dumped thousands of gallons of poisonous chemicals into Philadelphia’s drinking water. This is an on-the-ground account by a Philadelphia worker and socialist.

Jason Koslowski

March 27, 2023
A group of protesters, in the front of whom are a line of protesters wearing red vests. In the front right corner, a white sign reds "vive la retraite," with a skeleton wearing a red hat in the middle of the sign on a black background with a text bubble on its left that reads, "oiv a bosse, c'est pas pour en crever!"

“French March”: The Right to Revolutionary Optimism

Evoking memories of '68, the students enter the fight against Macron. In our chaotic world, the future can only be built in the streets.

Eduardo Castilla

March 26, 2023

Joe Biden Is Deporting Russians Who Escaped Putin’s Draft — Let Them All In!

The United States is deporting Russians who sought asylum following the Russian invasion of Ukraine. This is a heinous attack against war resisters and shows that the proxy war in Ukraine is about capitalist rivalry first and foremost.

Sam Carliner

March 26, 2023