Ecole Polytechnique – The Fourteen Not Forgotten

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On Dec. 6, 1989, Marc Lepine, 25, armed with a 223-calibre Sturm-Ruger rifle and a hunting knife, shot and killed 14 women, injuring 9 others before committing suicide. He began his attack by entering a classroom at Montreal’s Ecole Polytechnique, where he separated the male and female students.

He spoke about his hatred for feminists, claiming that he was “fighting feminism” and calling the women “a bunch of feminists,” he shot all nine women in the room, killing six. He then moved through corridors, the cafeteria, and another classroom, specifically targeting women to shoot. Overall, he killed fourteen women and injured ten other women and four men in just under 20 minutes before turning the gun on himself.

People are encouraged to observe a minute of silence on December 6 at 10:37 a.m and to wear a white ribbon (or a purple ribbon) as a commitment to end violence against women.

The National Day of Remembrance and Action on Violence Against Women, also known informally as White Ribbon Day, which is commemorated in each December 6, the anniversary of the 1989 École Polytechnique massacre. Flags on all government buildings are flown at half-mast.

The Fourteen Not Forgotten are:

  • Geneviève Bergeron, 21, was a second year scholarship student in civil engineering.
  • Hélène Colgan, 23, was in her final year of mechanical engineering and planned to take her Master’s degree.
  • Nathalie Croteau, 23, was in her final year of mechanical engineering.
  • Barbara Daigneault, 22, was in her final year of mechanical engineering and held a teaching assistantship.
  • Anne-Marie Edward, 21, was a first year student in chemical engineering.
  • Maud Haviernick, 29, was a second year student in engineering materials, a branch of metallurgy, and a graduate in environmental design.
  • Barbara Maria Klucznik, 31, was a second year nursing student.
  • Maryse Laganière, 25, worked in the budget department of the Polytechnique.
  • Maryse Leclair, 23, was a fourth year student in engineering materials.
  • Anne-Marie Lemay, 27, was a fourth year student in mechanical engineering.
  • Sonia Pelletier, 28, was to graduate the next day in mechanical engineering. She was awarded a degree posthumously.
  • Michèle Richard, 21, was a second year student in engineering materials.
  • Annie St-Arneault, 23, was a mechanical engineering student.
  • Annie Turcotte, 20, was a materials engineering student.