Polytechnique Massacre: Marc Lepine, mass murderer

Montreal Massacre For 45 minutes on Dec. 6, 1989 an enraged gunman roamed the corridors of Montreal's École Polytechnique and killed 14 women. Marc Lepine, 25, separated the men from the women and before opening fire on the classroom of female engineering students he screamed, "I hate feminists." Almost immediately, the Montreal Massacre became a galvanizing moment in which mourning turned into outrage about all violence against women.

CBC Archives: The Montreal Massacre, "There was utter pandemonium outside the university building", says reporter Paul Workman. Inside, things are far worse. Fourteen women die at the hands of enraged gunman Marc Lepine on a terrible December day. CBC- TV's "The National" captures the confusion and horror at Montreal's École Polytechnique

Marc Lepine began hating women as a child. Lepine had probably planned the École Polytechnique massacre for weeks or months. Mass murderers plot out their killings ahead of time in order to "take out" as many people as possible from a given group in society. Lepine blamed his own personal failure on women and believed they prevented him from achieving success. Lepine's own suicide also fits the mass murderer profile, which differs from that of serial killers who want to "bask in their glory and become celebrities.“

Marc Lepine's classmates said he didn't do drugs or drink but had an unrealistic obsession with war movies. His lab partner Sylvie Drouin described Lepine as a "pretty nice guy" who was good with computers. She also said he could be bossy with women. In 1999 the Toronto Star reported that Marc Lepine was born Gamil Gharbi to an Algerian mutual fund salesman who thought "all women were chattels." The article said Lepine's father beat him until he bled from the nose and ears and didn't allow his mother, a nurse and former nun, to console her son. It also reported that Lepine's mother was often "humiliated, smashed up against walls and beaten." Lepine changed his name in his teens.

The White Ribbon Campaign The White Ribbon Campaign seeks to educate young people, especially young men and boys, on the issue of ending violence against women in all forms. The campaign’s slogan is: “Our future has no violence against women.” In over 55 countries, it is the largest worldwide effort of men working to end violence against women.

TASK: After reviewing, reading and watching the case of Marc Lepine, working in your groups you will prepare a brief presentation on the case utilizing your knowledge of Nature verses Nurture and the handout provided. How can we prevent future violence from happening in our society?