UBC students stage Take Back The Night rally to protest sex assaults | iNFOnews | Thompson-Okanagan's News Source
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UBC students stage Take Back The Night rally to protest sex assaults

VANCOUVER - Hundreds are expected to attend a rally this evening at the University of British Columbia to protest of a series of sexual assaults that have shaken staff and students at the usually quiet campus on the tip of Vancouver's Point Grey.

The online invitation about the Take Back The Night rally has already been accepted by at least 900 students with hundreds more considering their attendance, as RCMP investigate what are now believed to be six linked sexual assaults.

Officers have confirmed the latest attack happened Sunday morning near the centre of the campus, with the other five spanning a period from April to earlier this month.

In each case, the victim was grabbed from behind and groped, and one was punched in the face, raising concerns that the thin, six-foot-tall attacker in his mid 20s to early 30s, could be ramping up the violence.

UBC president Stephen Toope speaks to worried students and addresses the media later today, one day after the RCMP's Major Crimes Unit took over the investigation.

University officials have already said they are working with campus security and student housing to discuss the use of more lighting and video cameras and to step up the campus Safe Walk program, which offers escorts to students travelling between buildings and residences at night.

News from © The Canadian Press, 2013
The Canadian Press

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