Around 50 people attended a vigil at the University of Windsor for the National Day of Remembrance and Action on Violence Against Women held on the 33rd anniversary of the 1989 massacre at Ecole Polytechnique in Montreal. The university's Womxn’s Centre and Women’s Engineering Club honoured the 14 women killed on December 6, 1989, at École Polytechnique in Montreal.

The attack left 14 women dead and 13 other people injured at the Montreal engineering school.

Fourteen white roses were held by current engineering students at the vigil on Tuesday morning. Ten women from the university Engineering Club read statements of remembrance for the fourteen victims before placing the roses on the Memorial of Hope in the centre of campus.

“No matter how many years have gone by since this tragic massacre, it is our duty to remember these women and everything they set out to accomplish. The fight for gender equality in STEM-related fields is ongoing and must be talked about”. Kim Courtis

The President Rob Gordon of the University, Dr. Jacqueline Stagner and Dr. Rashid Rashidazadeh from the Faculty of Engineering, and Dr. Frankie Cachon, coordinator for the bystanders were among some of the speakers at the event.

All wore white ribbons to raise awareness about violence against women and girls.

Dr. Frankie Cachon from the office of the Bystanders asked “Where are all the men” Dr. Cachon brought along two men from the bystander's program to speak at the event.

The anniversary of the mass shooting was proclaimed National Day of Remembrance and Action on Violence Against Women in 1991.

The women killed in the anti-feminist attack were Geneviève Bergeron, Hélène Colgan, Nathalie Croteau, Barbara Daigneault, Anne-Marie Edward, Maud Haviernick, Barbara Klucznik-Widajewicz, Maryse Laganière, Maryse Leclair, Anne-Marie Lemay, Sonia Pelletier, Michele Richard, Annie St-Arneault and Annie Turcotte.

—Naomi Pelkey