HALIFAX – Roughly 200 people showed up at a rally in opposition to Dalhousie University’s response to sexually violent and abusive Facebook comments made by some dentistry students.
Many people attending the rally called on the men involved in the Facebook posts to be expelled. So far the university has said victims and perpetrators will use a restorative justice approach to decide what the consequences will be. At a Wednesday news conference, President Richard Florizone said expulsion is an option at the end of the process.
People at the rally on Friday, said the restorative justice response doesn’t go far enough and could end up re-victimizing the female dentistry students targeted by the comments.
READ MORE: Dalhousie restorative justice response to Facebook comments questioned
“Lots of times women will say that part of their healing and empowerment is to face their abuser,” said Jackie Stevens, the Avalon Sexual Assault Centre’s executive director. “Our concern was not putting the onus on the women solely to determine what the recourse for these men were going to be.”
Others went further calling on the university to take more immediate action. Speaking to the protesters, Jude Ashburn of the campus’ sexual and gender justice centre, South House, said the university was letting the perpetrators get away with their actions.
“Create an accountability process that begins with immediate expulsion,” said Ashburn to cheers from the crowd. “Forgiving their behaviour is violent, apologizing for this is investing in a rape culture, and ignoring this in the hopes that it will go away sets a dangerous standard. We will not go away.”
One survivor of sexual assault said she was disappointed with the university.
“I’m extremely disappointed that Dalhousie has chosen to use the restorative justice method,” said Sherri Bain. “It’s an unfair burden to place on the women of the dentistry class. There’s a moratorium in this province for the use of restorative justice for the victims of sexual and domestic violence.”
“There’s been some research done by organizations around the province to suggest that restorative justice may even be harmful for this demographic.”
The fathers of Rehtaeh Parsons and Catie Miller both attended today’s rally. Parsons killed herself after being allegedly sexually assaulted and then cyber bullied. Miller died in July – two people have been charged with first-degree murder in that case.
“As long as there are no consequences we’re going to go over and over and over the exact same thing.” said Glen Canning, the father of Rehtaeh Parsons. “I don’t think anybody here could actually sit here and say right now ‘wow there’s consequence for doing this, for threatening to rape women, or talking about raping women, or talking about drugging women.'”
“There’s no consequences here at all. This will happen again.”
Also on Friday, five Dalhousie faculty members released a statement, calling on the university to launch an independent inquiry into the issue. At last check 27 faculty members had signed their names to the statement.
Global News repeatedly asked the university for comment on today’s events, but none was given.
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