home

__**MARC LEPINE**__ **//October 26, 1964 to December 6, 1989//**

=On December 6, 1989, Marc Lepine entered the École Polytechnique de Montréal where he began to separate and kill women before shooting himself. This single incident has earned its fame as The Montreal Massacre. Marc Lepine has earned his place in history not only for this horrific act that left 14 young women dead, but also because of his distorted anti-feminist views.= = =


 * HISTORY**

Marc Lepine was born Gamil Rodrigue Liass Gharbi, but changed his name when he was 14 years old because he hated his father. His father, Rachid Liass Gharbi, was an Algerian-born businessman and was abusive and disrespectful towards women, with a view that a woman's purpose was to serve men. Gharbi was abusive towards the children as well, and discourged any tenderness. Lepine's mother, Monique Lépine, left his father when he was 7 years old and returned to a career in nursing to support her family. Lepine and his sister only saw their mother on weekends, and stayed with other families while she worked. Marc Lepine was withdrawn and shy and scared of his father. In 1976, Lepine's mother consulted a psychologist at St. Justine's Hospital as she was concerned about her children. The psychologist concluded there was nothing wrong with Lepine, but recommended therapy for his younger sister.
 * __Childhood__**

Marc Lepine was quiet and an above average student. He only had one friend, and did not fit in with most kids. He was teased for his Arab name and had it legally changed when he was 14 years old. Lepine had poor communication skills, low self esteem, and seemed to lack any emotions. His sister teased him for having bad acne and no girlfriends. Lepine fantasized about his sister's death and even made a fake grave for her, and was thrilled when she was placed in a group home for substance abuse and reckless behaviour. Searching for a positive male role model for her son, Lepine's mother got him a Big Brother. Lepine spent two years meeting with his Big Brother and it seemed to be a postive experience for him until the Big Brother was detained on suspicions of Child Molestation. Lepine and his Big Brother denied any abuse occured in thier time together. As a teenager, Lepine owned an air rifle and used it to shoot at pigeons. He enjoyed electronics and also developed an interest in World War II and an admiration for Nazi dictator Adolf Hitler. He was helpful to his mother and did chores around the house. At the age of 17, Lepine applied to the Canadian Forces but was denied during the interview process.
 * __Adolescence__**

In 1982 when Lepine was 18 years old the family moved to Saint-Laurent, where Lepine went to CEGEP college to study pure sciences. Lepine left his only friend behind. Lepine worked in food and custodial services at the hospital where his mother was nursing. He was viewed as nervous, immature and hyperactive by his co-workers. After a year in sciences, Lepine switched his studies towards electronics. His teachers thought of him as being a model student, but in fall of 1985 there was a sudden drop in his grades and in February 1986 Lepine stopped attending classes and did not complete his diploma. But in 1986 he applied to study engineering at the École Polytechnique de Montréal and was accepted on the condition he complete 2 compulsory courses. In 1987, Lepine was fired from his job at the hospital for aggressive behaviours, disrespect for authority and carelessness. After being fired, Lepine commented on his plans for a murderous revenge and suicide. Lepine was unpredictable and had violent episodes when frustrated. In the fall of 1987, Lépine took three courses, obtaining good marks in all. In February 1988, he began a course in computer programming at a private college in downtown Montreal. He moved into a downtown apartment with his old high school friend, and in the winter of 1989 he took a course in solution chemistry, a prerequisite course for the École Polytechnique. Lépine wanted a girlfriend, but he had a tendency to boss women around and show off in front of them. He spoke out to men about his dislike of feminists, career women and women in traditionally male occupations, and viewed that women should stay at home, caring for their families. Lépine applied again to the École Polytechnique in 1989; however his application was rejected as he lacked required courses. In March 1989 he abandoned the course in computer programming even though he got 100% in his final exam. In April 1989 he met with university admissions, and complained about how women were taking over the job market.
 * __Adulthood__**

On the afternoon of December 6, 1989, Marc Lepine, at the age of 25 years old, walked into the École Polytechnique de Montréal with a Ruger Mini- 14 semi-automatic rifle. He went to a second floor classroom, seperated the men from the women and ordered the men to leave. Claiming he was fighting feminism, Lepine shot the remaining women, killing 6 and injuring 3. After this Lepine moved around the school and shot, stabbed and killed a total of 14 women, and injured 4 men and 10 women before shooting himself. Lepine acknowledged his actions as hate for feminists. A three page suicide note was found in Lepine's pocket. The following is a translation of the suicide letter written by Lépine on the day of the shooting. > //Forgive the mistakes, I had 15 minutes to write this. See also Annex.Would you note that if I commit suicide today 89-12-06 it is not for economic reasons (for I have waited until I exhausted all my financial means, even refusing jobs) but for political reasons. Because I have decided to send the feminists, who have always ruined my life, to their Maker. For seven years life has brought me no joy and being totally blasé, I have decided to put an end to those viragos. I tried in my youth to enter the Forces as an officer cadet, which would have allowed me possibly to get into the arsenal and precede Lortie in a raid. They refused me because antisocial (sic). I therefore had to wait until this day to execute my plans. In between, I continued my studies in a haphazard way for they never really interested me, knowing in advance my fate. Which did not prevent me from obtaining very good marks despite my theory of not handing in work and the lack of studying before exams. Even if the Mad Killer epithet will be attributed to me by the media, I consider myself a rational erudite that only the arrival of the Grim Reaper has forced to take extreme acts. For why persevere to exist if it is only to please the government. Being rather backward-looking by nature (except for science), the feminists have always enraged me. They want to keep the advantages of women (e.g. cheaper insurance, extended maternity leave preceded by a preventative leave, etc.) while seizing for themselves those of men. Thus it is an obvious truth that if the Olympic Games removed the Men-Women distinction, there would be Women only in the graceful events. So the feminists are not fighting to remove that barrier. They are so opportunistic they [do not] neglect to profit from the knowledge accumulated by men through the ages. They always try to misrepresent them every time they can. Thus, the other day, I heard they were honoring the Canadian men and women who fought at the frontline during the world wars. How can you explain [that since] women were not authorized to go to the frontline??? Will we hear of Caesar's female legions and female galley slaves who of course took up 50% of the ranks of history, though they never existed. A real Casus Belli. Sorry for this too brief letter. Marc Lépine//
 * THE MONTREAL MASSACRE**

The letter is followed by the list of nineteen names, with a note at the bottom: > //"Nearly died today. The lack of time (because I started too late) has allowed these radical feminists to survive.Alea Jacta Est."//

[|Marc Lepine suicide note (french)]

Lepine obtained his firearms permit in mid-October of 1989 and purchased the Ruger Mini-14 semi-automatic at a sporting goods store. Four days before the shooting her brought his mother a birthday present, even though her birthday was not for several weeks. This event, deemed The Montreal Massacre, is not just another tragic murder-suicide and it is significant in that it changed policing and gun control in Canada.



After the tragic massacre of December 6, 1989 Police interviewed many of Lepine's friends and family looking for answers. A police psychologist believes Lepine had a serious personality disorder. Lepine's fantasies about power and success, difficulties with rejection and failure, and his own critisism's about his self worth also describe a vulnerability towards narcissistic behaviour. Other psychologists believe Lepine may have been psychotic, and seemed to have lost touch with reality and lived out his violent fantasy. His mother, who didnt speak about her son's actions until 2006, believes he may have had a detachment disorder due to abuse and feelings of abdonement because of his childhood. [|CTV video. Mother of Marc Lepine]
 * THE AFTERMATH**

Criminologists view the massacre as a hate crime against women. Some anti-feminists movements have deemed Lepine a hero.

[|"Marc Lepine is a God"]

Since 1991, December 6 has been recognized in Canada as a National Day of Remembrance and Action on Violence Against Women.




 * THE VICTIMS**


 * Geneviève Bergeron (born 1968), civil engineering student
 * Hélène Colgan (born 1966), mechanical engineering student.
 * Nathalie Croteau (born 1966), mechanical engineering student.
 * Barbara Daigneault (born 1967) mechanical engineering student.
 * Anne-Marie Edward (born 1968), chemical engineering student.
 * Maud Haviernick (born 1960), materials engineering student.
 * Maryse Laganière (born 1964), budget clerk in the École Polytechnique's finance department.
 * Maryse Leclair (born 1966), materials engineering student.
 * Anne-Marie Lemay (born 1967), mechanical engineering student.
 * Sonia Pelletier (born 1961), mechanical engineering student.
 * Michèle Richard (born 1968), materials engineering student.
 * Annie St-Arneault (born 1966), mechanical engineering student.
 * Annie Turcotte (born 1969), materials engineering student.
 * Barbara Klucznik-Widajewicz (born 1958), nursing student.



Police response to the massacre has been hightly criticized due to the length of time it took lepine to carry out the shootings. The first police to respond made a perimiter around the builiding before entering, this is known as a secure and contain tactic. During this time several of the victims were killed. Several changes to emergency response was made due to this incident, and it is now common practice in hostage/shooting incidents to use an approach called the "active attacker" model. In this model the emergency response team would enter a facility in diamond-shaped teams of four, the officer at the rear lagging behind after entry to ensure none of the team is attacked from the rear. The objective is to bypass the injured and the frightened and get to the attacker as quickly as possible, drawing his fire. "Locate, isolate, neutralize."
 * POLICE RESPONSE**

The massacre also led to significant and controversial changes in gun control in Canada. One of the survivors,Heidi Rathjen, started the Coalition for Gun Control along with the parents of one of the victims. Their activities, along with others, led to the passage of Bill C-68, or the Firearms Act, in 1995. The new regulations included requirements on training of gun owners, screening of firearm applicants, rules concerning gun and ammunition storage and the registration of all firearms. The gun registry in particular has been a controversial issue. During 2009 and 2010 survivors of the massacre and their families publicly opposed a bill, supported by Stephen Harper's Conservative government, aimed at ending the long-gun registry. Rathjen described it as "a slap in the face for the victims and families". The bill was defeated in September 2010. [|Why Gun Control is Not the Right Answer]
 * GUN CONTROL**

“The Firearms Act is a monument to the memory of the victims of the MontrealMassacre.” -Suzanne Laplante-Edward, mother of Anne Marie killed Dec. 6, 1989


 * Homicide with Long Guns Decreased Since Law Passed**


 * CANADA |||| 1995 |||| 2008 ||
 * || Number || Rate per 100,000 || Number || Rate per 100,000 ||
 * Homicide || 586 || 2.01 || 611 || 1.83 ||
 * Homicide with firearms || 176 || 0.6 || 200 || 0.59 ||
 * Homicide with long guns || 61 || 0.21 || 34 || 0.1 ||
 * Homicide with hand guns || 95 || 0.32 || 121 ||  ||

= =
 * YOUTUBE POWERPOINT VIDEO PRESENTATION**
 * [|Marc Lepine Powerpoint]**