http://www.metronews.ca/news/toronto/201...rally.html
University of Toronto rally blames death threats on men's rights activists
Men’s groups have changed campus in the past three years and tensions are running high, feminist says during rally.
Feminist Ashleigh Ingle gives a speech at a rally at Spadina and Bloor Streets on Monday.
Feminist Ashleigh Ingle gives a speech at a rally at Spadina and Bloor Streets on Monday.
By: Jessica Smith Cross Metro Published on Sun Sep 13 2015
The men’s right movement at University of Toronto is to blame for recent threats targeting women on campus, feminists charged Monday.
CUPE 3902’s Women’s Caucus organized a rally at Spadina and Bloor after messages threatening to kill feminists and women were left in the comments sections of BlogTO articles in June and earlier this month.
About 200 union members, women and male allies marched through the streets chanting slogans including: “We are UofT, we fight against misogyny.”
Coun. Kristyn Wong-Tam and NDP candidate Jennifer Hollett were among those who gave speeches to the crowd.
Feminist Ashleigh Ingle also spoke, talking about how men’s groups have changed campus in the past three years. Tensions have run high, she said, and feminists who’ve protested the groups have received death and rape threats.
“These threats that we’re here to stand up against today, they didn’t come out of nowhere,” she said. “They are supported by an environment that is hostile and backwards and encouraged by these men’s rights misogynists on our campus.
“Though they hide behind a thin veneer of real issues, just below the surface is a vile and vicious misogyny,” she continued. “Their goal is to blame all of the issues of people in society on feminism and a component of that is to threaten and harass feminists into silence.”
Justin Trottier, a founder of the men’s issues club at UofT and the associated Canadian Association for Equality, called the online threats “deplorable.”
“We condemn in the strongest words any threats of violence or intimidation as an organization that’s active on campus and exists to promote free exchange of dialogue,” he said.
He denied either organization is a “men’s rights” group or “anti-feminist.”
“We would like to see the temperature turn down a little bit, and for people to engage in positive productive, constructive dialogue,” he said. “It was never the goal to create a war or a gender war.”
University of Toronto rally blames death threats on men's rights activists
Men’s groups have changed campus in the past three years and tensions are running high, feminist says during rally.
Feminist Ashleigh Ingle gives a speech at a rally at Spadina and Bloor Streets on Monday.
Feminist Ashleigh Ingle gives a speech at a rally at Spadina and Bloor Streets on Monday.
By: Jessica Smith Cross Metro Published on Sun Sep 13 2015
The men’s right movement at University of Toronto is to blame for recent threats targeting women on campus, feminists charged Monday.
CUPE 3902’s Women’s Caucus organized a rally at Spadina and Bloor after messages threatening to kill feminists and women were left in the comments sections of BlogTO articles in June and earlier this month.
About 200 union members, women and male allies marched through the streets chanting slogans including: “We are UofT, we fight against misogyny.”
Coun. Kristyn Wong-Tam and NDP candidate Jennifer Hollett were among those who gave speeches to the crowd.
Feminist Ashleigh Ingle also spoke, talking about how men’s groups have changed campus in the past three years. Tensions have run high, she said, and feminists who’ve protested the groups have received death and rape threats.
“These threats that we’re here to stand up against today, they didn’t come out of nowhere,” she said. “They are supported by an environment that is hostile and backwards and encouraged by these men’s rights misogynists on our campus.
“Though they hide behind a thin veneer of real issues, just below the surface is a vile and vicious misogyny,” she continued. “Their goal is to blame all of the issues of people in society on feminism and a component of that is to threaten and harass feminists into silence.”
Justin Trottier, a founder of the men’s issues club at UofT and the associated Canadian Association for Equality, called the online threats “deplorable.”
“We condemn in the strongest words any threats of violence or intimidation as an organization that’s active on campus and exists to promote free exchange of dialogue,” he said.
He denied either organization is a “men’s rights” group or “anti-feminist.”
“We would like to see the temperature turn down a little bit, and for people to engage in positive productive, constructive dialogue,” he said. “It was never the goal to create a war or a gender war.”