In this December 2019, candles burn at Medicine Hat College around pictures of the 14 women killed in 1989 during a massacre in Montreal.--NEWS FILE PHOTO
kking@medicinehatnews.com
Medicine Hat Women’s Shelter Society will be hosting a vigil for victims of the l’Ecole Polytechnique Massacre on Dec. 6 in Medicine Hat College’s Centennial Hall.
Monday marks the 32nd anniversary of the massacre, in which a gunman murdered 14 women, citing his hatred of feminism as a motive. In addition, Monday is also Canada’s National day of Remembrance and Action on Violence Against Women, which aims to raise awareness about gender-based violence and honour those affected by it.
“The horrific violence of the Montreal Massacre 32 years ago was one where women were targeted and killed for simply being women,” MHWSS executive director Natasha Carvalho said in a release.
“This kind of violence isn’t isolated. It’s experienced daily by women in Alberta, Canada and around the world,” she said. “This is why the National Day of Remembrance and Action is still so important decades after the Montreal Massacre; to remember the lives lost and to speak for a future where there is no more gender-based violence.”
The ceremony begins at 6:30 p.m. and will also be livestreamed on MHWSS’ Facebook page. Restrictions Exemption Program will be in place.
