Thousands rally at Western University to protest sexual violence
Hundreds of Western University students walked out of class Friday as thousands marched on campus to protest sexual violence on and around the campus.
Students, dressed in teal, chanted, "Stop this violence. No more silence," as they marched from Medway-Sydenham Hall and other residences to join the rally.
Some signs in the crowd read "Protect us, not your reputation," "Denial is not a defense," "I believe you, I stand by survivors" and "Will I be next?"
“The incidents of the past week, and you being here today, tell us that you do not feel safe," said Terry McQuad, Director of Wellness and Well Being at Western University. "The university has updated its gender-based violence policy, May 2020, to better reflect and make transparent the process for getting support and filing a complaint.”
Campus police told CTV News, they estimated the gathering of staff and students to be around 8,000 people.
Students were showing their support for survivors of sexual violence and also pushing for change in the way the school handles reports of sexual assault.
Teigan Elliott, who says she witnessed the allegged incidents the night of Sept. 10 outside residence, tearfully spoke at the rally.
“Alan Shepard [Western University President], do you know what it’s like to be unsafe? Not just feel unsafe, but be unsafe where you live? do you know what it’s like to walk past the site of the most traumatic experience of your life every day just to get to class? If your answer is no to either one of those questions, then I don’t want to hear another word from you about safety.”
The walkout comes after an investigation was launched into allegations of up to 30 drug-related sexual assaults at the Medway-Sydenham Hall residence on campus during orientation week.According to London police there have been no formal reports made in regards to the allegations.
However, police have confirmed they were already investigating three reports of sexual violence since the start of the semester; but those reports are not related to the residence allegations.
Co-organizers of the rally call Western's announcement of an action plan on Thursday a first step, but say more needs to be done.
In unveiling the new Action Plan on Sexual Violence, Western President Alan Shepard said: “We let our students and families down.”
Among the new measures is a requirement to have all students living in residence take in-person training on sexual violence, consent and personal safety.
Details on the new Action Plan can be found here.
Western and all its affiliate colleges have spoken in support of the walkout, and encouraged students and faculty to attend.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
BREAKING Alice Munro, Nobel literature winner revered as short story master, dead at 92
Nobel laureate Alice Munro, the Canadian literary giant who became one of the world's most esteemed contemporary authors and one of history's most honoured short story writers, has died at age 92.
Latest updates on air quality alerts, and when the smoke may reach Ontario and Quebec
Wildfires have led Environment Canada to issue air quality advisories for parts of B.C., Alberta, Manitoba, Saskatchewan and the Northwest Territories, as forecasters warn the smoke could drift farther east.
Are these Canada's best restaurants? Annual top 100 list revealed
The annual list of Canada's top restaurants in the country was just released and here are the places that made the 2024 cut.
Attack on prison van in France kills 2 officers, inmate escapes
Armed assailants killed two French prison officers and seriously wounded three others in an attack on a convoy in Normandy on Tuesday and an inmate escaped, officials said.
Steal a car, lose your driver's licence for 10 years under new Ontario proposal
Repeat car thieves may face lengthy licence bans under proposed changes to Ontario’s Highway Traffic Act.
$1.6B parts plant for Honda electric vehicle batteries coming to Niagara Region
A Japanese company has announced it will build an approximately $1.6-billion plant in Ontario's Niagara Region that will make a key electric vehicle battery component as part of Honda's supply chain in the province.
B.C. brings in law on name changes on day that child killer's new identity revealed
The BC NDP have tabled legislation aimed at stopping people who have committed certain heinous acts from changing their names.
Manitoba premier to visit areas impacted by wildfire
Manitoba Premier Wab Kinew will get a close-up look at the devastation from a large wildfire burning in northern Manitoba Tuesday.
1 killed, 3 injured including toddler, after Hwy. 417 crash in Ottawa
Ontario Provincial Police are responding to a fatal collision involving two vehicles on Highway 417 in Ottawa's west end on Tuesday morning.