Student assaulted

A Queen’s student involved in the opposition to a Queen’s men’s issues group was assaulted late last night

The student posted a photo of her injuries on Facebook following the attack. The Journal has obtained permission from the victim to publish this photo.
Image supplied by: Photo supplied
The student posted a photo of her injuries on Facebook following the attack. The Journal has obtained permission from the victim to publish this photo.

A Queen’s student was physically assaulted outside of her home near Victoria Park Wednesday night at around 11 p.m.

The fourth-year student, who has requested to remain anonymous at this time, was punched multiple times in the face and lost half of her left front tooth as a result. Kingston Police are currently investigating the attack.

The student, who is female, has been actively involved in an opposition to tonight’s Men’s Issues Awareness Society (MIAS) talk. She claims to have received multiple threatening emails related to her involvement prior to the incident.

It’s unclear if the student knew the attacker; however, the attacker was male and knew the victim’s name, according to a source who has requested to remain anonymous for safety reasons.

“We’re trying to identify the attacker,” said Steven Koopman, Kingston Police media relations officer.

At the time of print, he said it’s unclear if the incident was related to the victim’s involvement with the opposition group.

“We’re aware of the situation and because of the context the detective will be looking at the angle but we won’t be assuming there’s a direct link at this time,” he added.

The student declined to comment on the incident, as she is “still processing what happened.”

She posted a photo of injuries on Facebook following the incident, showing her chipped tooth and bruised face.

“How’s this for a ‘no makeup selfie’?,” the post read.

“I was punched in the face multiple times and lost half my tooth. This was after a few threatening emails regarding my support for feminist activities on campus. Take care of yourselves and try not to go out alone.”

MIAS sparked controversy after it announced it will host an event titled “What’s Equality Got to Do With it? Men’s Issues and Feminism’s Double Standards.”

The event, held Thursday evening at Ellis Hall at 7 p.m., featured Janice Fiamengo, a University of Ottawa professor who gives talks against the existence of rape culture on Canadian university campuses.

Last week, the opposition group attempted to de-ratify the MIAS on the grounds that it further perpetuated rape culture on campus. The motion to de-ratify the club failed.

Despite no confirmed link to the club, Mohammed Albaghdadi, MIAS president, condemned the attack.

“There have been various comments associating MIAS with this attack,” he told the Journal. “Please know that these claims are unfounded and untrue. Our sincerest thoughts go out to the student who was attacked.”

The Canadian Association for Equality (CAFE), a Toronto-based organization that promotes men’s rights, reiterated Albaghdadi.

CAFE organized a men’s issues talk at the University of Toronto in November, during which a protester was arrested following a physical confrontation with a participant. Another protester was cautioned after attempting to assault a police officer.

Last week at Assembly, Albaghdadi denied links to the organization after being questioned by Queen’s student Namal Amal. The organization was later found to have sponsored their event.

“We will do everything in our power to ensure that this incident, rather than driving a wedge between us, by polarizing extremist factions on both sides of the gender discourse, instead unite us in our shared commitment to equality, human rights and freedom of speech,” the organization said in a release sent to the Journal.

“All acts of violence undermine our shared goal of fostering meaningful conversation on some challenging but vital questions.”

This article was last updated at 12:16 p.m. on Friday, March 28.

If you feel unsafe, call the Campus Security emergency line at 613 533 6111 or Walkhome at 613 533 9255.

Anybody with information related to the incident is encouraged to contact Detective Shawn Bough at 613 549 4660 ext. 6161 or by email at Sbough@kpf.ca

All final editorial decisions are made by the Editor(s)-in-Chief and/or the Managing Editor. Authors should not be contacted, targeted, or harassed under any circumstances. If you have any grievances with this article, please direct your comments to journal_editors@ams.queensu.ca.

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