Students Defend Teacher Suspended for Showing 'Psycho Killer' Snuff Film: 'We Wanted to See It' [UPDATE]
A high school teacher in Montreal is facing possible termination after he played the infamous "psycho killer" snuff film during a history and citizenship class last week.
The 11-minute video allegedly shows murder suspect Luka Rocco Magnotta killing and dismembering 33-year-old university student Lin Jun as well as engaging in sexual and cannibalistic activities involving Lin's corpse.
Students at Cavelier-De-LaSalle High School defended the 29-year-old teacher, saying he asked beforehand how many were interested in viewing it, and the entire class save for two people voted in favor. The teacher allowed the students who voted against to leave, but they opted to stay.
"At first the teacher didn't want to show it, but because the students wanted to see it, he agreed," student Jean-François Vautour told the Globe and Mail. "We would have found a way to see it anyways."
The teacher, who has since apologized, has been suspended with pay, and the school board is currently considering his permanent dismissal. Quebec Education Minister Michelle Courchesne said showing the video to students displayed a "total lack of judgement," and called it "horrifying."
Psychologists brought in to provide support trauma support to students said the video could have a lasting impact. But the students themselves say the footage wasn't much worse than what they see in movies and shows all the time.
"For sure, at the beginning I found it tough," said Maude Aubin-Boivin. "But I wasn't traumatized or anything. We see so much these days on TV."
Magnotta is still in Berlin, where he was apprehended inside an Internet cafe on June 4th. Montreal police confirmed yesterday that a hand and a foot found at two Vancouver schools last week belonged to Lin. His head remains missing.
UPDATE: The school has just released a statement saying the teacher has been let go, effective immediately.
[photo via AP]