‘I felt unsafe’: Montreal police to enhance Jarry Park patrols after women report voyeurism cases

Montreal police say they will increase their patrols in Jarry Park after receiving several complaints from women reporting cases of “voyeurism and inappropriate gestures.”

Women have posted on forums and social media in recent days that groups of men have been making women feel uncomfortable to the point where they got up and left because they felt unsafe.

CTV News interviewed one woman who wrote about her experience in a post on Reddit following an incident on Tuesday. She said a group of men came and sat near her while she was sunbathing, and one of them came so close that he was nearly sitting on her mat while staring at her.

“You’re almost naked at the pool — everybody is. So you’re already kind of … more vulnerable. I really tried not to take it personally because it is a pool and there will be men … [but] it’s hard as a woman. Like, is this a dangerous one? Or is this a weird one? And in that case it definitely felt weird,” she said.

CTV News is not naming her because she fears she will be targeted for speaking out.

“I was analyzing the whole thing: He has space [over] there, he has space here. He’s definitely trying to do something to me. And he did do something to me. That’s why I felt powerless and angry when I left because, at the end of the day, I had to leave,” she said.

“I was hanging out, relaxed, and then I felt unsafe.”

More than 400 comments followed her post on Reddit with many women sharing similar experiences of seeing men going to the park, not to swim but to “ogle” at women wearing bathing suits.

In a written statement, Montreal police said Friday that they are taking the complaints from women seriously and are increasing their presence in the area to prevent and intervene in cases of “unacceptable behaviour.” Police are also meeting with lifeguards at the pool to instruct them to report any further incidents immediately.

“We would like to reiterate that the safety and well-being of everyone who visits Jarry Park is a priority. Any form of harassment is unacceptable and will be dealt with severely,” police added.

Protest planned for July 5

The phenomenon doesn’t seem to be a new one, however. A Reddit post from more than a year ago described similar accounts at the park.

The advocacy group Women Aware says it’s also up to men to take action and change their behaviour.

“We’re asking what women can do. And it’s very unfair to put the responsibilities on us because the reality should be what men should not be doing,” said executive director Alham Mahmod in an interview.

Meanwhile, a group of people is planning a protest on July 5 in Jarry Park. A description of the event on Facebook says the protest is meant to “sensitize people into standing up for women.”