White ribbon campaign
On December 6th, 1989, a man entered a Montreal facility, Ecole Polytechnique. In his hand, he held a semi-automatic rifle. Carefully, he separated the men from the women and then began to shoot. Before he put the rifle up to himself, he had killed 14 women and injured 13 other people. This man had killed them simply because they were women. This was a terrible tragedy. This December 6th was the 8th anniversary of what is now known as the Montreal Massacre. The White Ribbon campaign was started in memory of the women who were killed in the massacre. Men who disagree with what the man had done, wear a white ribbon on December 6th. Brochures and booklets have been released to let people know what, exactly what the campaign is about. People all over the world showed their support for the campaign by lighting a candle at 8 p.m. on December 6th. Roncalli's student council let the school know about the campaign, and the far majority of male students and teachers wore a white ribbon on Thursday and Friday of that week. The reason this day is relevant to Newfoundland and Labrador is because this day symbolizes the reality of violence women live with everyday. It can be any kind of violence: murder, assault, rape, sexual assault, or sexual harassment. One-half of Canadian women have experienced some type of assault or abuse. In Canada, every six to seven minutes, someone is abused or assaulted. In the last two years, two women from the west coast of Newfoundland have been killed, and there have been a countless number of assaults.
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