Polytechnique anniversary | Misogynistic violence is not a thing of the past, say activists

(Montreal) Thirty-two years after an armed man, obsessed with his hatred of feminists, opened fire on the Polytechnique Montreal campus, killing 14 women and injuring others, the list of women murdered by men continues to grow in Quebec.

While Quebecers prepare to observe a moment of silence as well as to participate in solemn ceremonies to commemorate the tragedy that occurred on December 6, 1989, activists stress that the wave of feminicides observed in Quebec proves that misogynistic violence is not not a thing of the past.

Since the start of 2021, the unofficial count has amounted to at least 18 feminicides that have occurred in Quebec.

Nathalie Provost, herself injured by four bullets fired by the Polytechnique killer, is well placed to know that each of these deaths is a tragedy.

If the tragedy at the Polytechnique remains one of the worst killings in Canadian history, for Mr.^me Provost, this story goes far beyond statistics.

In an interview with The Canadian Press, she stressed that the victims were not strangers or faces in photos. For them, these women were her colleagues, eyes she met, voices she knew.

Faced with the series of murders committed against women, Nathalie Provost says she is worried because she sees similarities between the economic difficulties and the labor market in 1989, then the climate of uncertainty caused by the COVID-19 pandemic.

Louise Riendeau, spokesperson for the Regroupement des maisons pour femmes victims of conjugal violence, agrees. In her opinion, 2021 has been a particularly difficult year in terms of violence against women and the COVID-19 pandemic is no stranger to it.

She points out that the confinement aimed at limiting the spread of the virus has also had the effect of trapping some women at home, under the yoke of their attackers.

Then, at the time of the gradual return to normal life, these same aggressors saw their control over their victim crumble, leading at the same time to an increase in their level of violence.

When she thinks of the victims of the Polytechnique tragedy, Louise Riendeau says she is saddened by the fact that they were killed for the simple fact that they dreamed of doing the same jobs as men.

“They wanted to become engineers and someone wanted to prevent them,” she sums up, stressing that men’s violence against women is still aimed today at preventing them from fully developing.

However, despite all the parallels one can imagine, M^me Riendeau would like to point out that the greatest threat that women face is not that of an unknown shooter, but is found near them, even in their own home.

Of the 18 femicides identified in Quebec this year, 17 were allegedly committed by a current or past spouse.

The representative of the Regroupement des maisons pour femmes victims of domestic violence warns that the clearest signs of danger are a history of domestic violence in a spouse and manipulative tendencies.

Last April, the Quebec government announced additional investments of $ 223 million to fight domestic violence. More recently, a bill was announced to create a specialized tribunal to hear cases of sexual violence. Quebec also unveiled a plan to force attackers to wear electronic anti-reconciliation bracelets.

Louise Riendeau believes that some things have improved for victims, including the way they are treated by police and prosecutors. She is also delighted with a greater awareness of the younger generation.

The fact remains that it is through education and the creation of an egalitarian society that we can finally hope to put an end to the mistreatment of women, according to her.

The commemoration ceremony for the 1989 tragedy will take place Monday evening with the illumination on Mount Royal of 14 beams rising to the sky and representing the victims of the tragedy. Due to the pandemic, however, people are asked not to gather there.