On Google and on the Reddit discussion forum, dozens of people denounce the presence of fully dressed groups of men who would meet around the pool of Jarry Park to observe women in swimsuit. Some would even go so far as to take photos and videos. Faced with the inaction of the authorities, a citizen rally organized on July 5 to scare away “voyeurs”.
“The group of men who sit for hours to watch and take photos of children and women is still there,” denounces Charlotte Sabourin in a notice left on Google on Wednesday.
Like other users of the Jarry Park pool in Montreal, it mentions that the problem has lasted for at least three years and that there is no effort to settle it despite complaints to the city and the police.
Several cases of group assault and harassment would also have produced in the facilities.
“Groups of men violently swing balloons in the face of people, women in particular, and insult them. The district was warned, ”said Anne Dezetter on Google last summer.
Some would also try to touch the body of the bathers, pretending not to know how to swim.
Women fear for their safety
In the last days, a movement of denunciation has grown on Reddit.
Dozens of users say they have witnessed groups made up of three to five men qualified as “shades”, who gather outside the speaker or around the pool, eyes riveted on swimmers.
They would not be “clearly” there to swim, it is said, but rather to “watch” women in swimsuit. Several people also claim to have been taken in photos and videos by these “perverts”.
“I am shocked to see that I am not the only one. I went there [lundi] And a lady surprised them to photograph me as well as my napkin neighbor. The next day, I returned to it and they redid exactly the same, ”says a user on Reddit.
The situation is such that several women support fear for their safety. Some even go so far as to avoid the place.
“I run almost every day at Jarry Park. I was going to the pool before, but I don’t go there anymore. Almost every day, I see men strongly rereading, heavily, women, young women, girls, ”deplores a surfer on Reddit.
Challenge L’inaction
Users of Google and Reddit criticize the authorities their inaction.
The pool employees, the Villeray-Saint-Michel-Parc-Extension district and even the Montreal City Police Service (SPVM) would be due to the situation, deplore several people.
However, it would be difficult to intervene, especially because we cannot prevent these men from being in the park.
It is also allowed to take photos in public places, even if the subject is in a swimsuit and that he has not agreed to be photographed. The broadcast of the cliché without its agreement can however be a problem.
If the person is in a private place, the photo taken without consent is however illegal.
As a protest, a citizen rally is organized on July 5. Groups of people plan to survey Jarry Park to identify the “voyeurs” and dissuade them from continuing their activities.
When writing these lines, the City of Montreal and the SPVM had not still not answered questions from 24 hours.
