U of Sask. event Zoom-bombed by racist, disturbing imagery
A University of Saskatchewan event was disrupted by "racist and deeply inappropriate" imagery and video on Thursday, a statement from the university confirmed.
University President Peter Stoicheff was presenting the General Academic Assembly, or GAA, Thursday afternoon.
The event, an update on the state of the Sasktoon university, had a portion that was meant to be online, only for the presentation to be interrupted by pornography and racist imagery.
It's an incident that has all the hallmarks of a Zoom-bombing — where participants in a meeting over a video conferencing platform have their screens highjacked by malicious actors who place words and images on the screen or create havoc with the call's audio.
It became increasingly more common during the COVID-19 pandemic with the reliance on video-conferencing platforms.
Thursday's event was quickly shut down by organizers, and an announcement was distributed to the university community to provide those affected with resources if they need them.
A statement provided by the University of Saskatchewan says Saskatoon Police Services are working with the school to investigate and identify those responsible.
A preliminary investigation has determined there is no risk to the University of Saskatchewan's IT system at this time, the university said.
"We want our faculty, staff, students, and visitors to feel safe and respected while on our campuses, whether in person or remotely," the statement by the University of Saskatchewan read.
The school is also exploring other safety measures that could be implemented at university-related events in the future.
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Toronto Star
3 days ago
- Toronto Star
Federal inmates allege pandemic ill treatment in class-action lawsuit
VANCOUVER - The British Columbia Supreme Court says a lawsuit by prison inmates alleging ill treatment during the COVID-19 pandemic can move forward as a class action against the federal government. Inmates claim they were 'subject to inhumane rights restrictions' during the pandemic, including being confined to cells for 20 hours or more each day without meaningful contact with other people.
Winnipeg Free Press
3 days ago
- Winnipeg Free Press
Federal inmates allege pandemic ill treatment in class-action lawsuit
VANCOUVER – The British Columbia Supreme Court says a lawsuit by prison inmates alleging ill treatment during the COVID-19 pandemic can move forward as a class action against the federal government. Inmates claim they were 'subject to inhumane rights restrictions' during the pandemic, including being confined to cells for 20 hours or more each day without meaningful contact with other people. Plaintiff Dean Roberts, a multiple murderer incarcerated at B.C.'s Mission Institution, says in an affidavit the pandemic brought 'chaos' as pandemic measures sent prisoners into despair, including one who sewed his lips shut. The ruling says the Attorney General of Canada opposed certifying the lawsuit as a class action for several reasons, arguing the Correctional Service of Canada's response to the pandemic was medically necessary. It says arguments over the 'unprecedented and unexpected nature of the pandemic' are issues to be decided by a trial, rejecting the federal government's claim that inmates should pursue individual lawsuits instead of banding together as a class. Justice Michael Tammen's ruling says inmates 'frequently face inordinate hurdles' in the courts, being without the financial means to file individual lawsuits, and class actions are often their only realistic means to legally challenge conditions of confinement. Lawyer Patrick Dudding says he welcomes the court's decision and he and his associates are now tasked with getting the word out to current and former inmates to join the class, which he says could potentially involve thousands of people. The lawsuit was originally filed in 2020. This report by The Canadian Press was first published June 4, 2025.
Montreal Gazette
3 days ago
- Montreal Gazette
‘I killed Romane. I stabbed her 26 times,' says accused in McGill Ghetto murder trial
Montreal Crime By The man on trial for the murder of Romane Bonnier, a woman who was stabbed 26 times in front of several witnesses in the McGill Ghetto, began his defence Wednesday afternoon by bluntly stating that he killed her. 'I killed Romane. I stabbed her 26 times,' François Pelletier, 39, told a jury at the Montreal courthouse. He said his testimony was part of a story called 'the moth and the flame.' Pelletier made the rambling introduction before he was sworn in. 'My objective is to explain what happened,' he said, while telling the jury to expect 'a freestyle rendering.' He also referred to his story as 'a train wreck in four parts.' Superior Court Justice François Dadour reminded the jury that the Crown finished presenting its evidence in the trial last week. The prosecution's theory is that Pelletier met Bonnier after she posted an ad seeking a roommate to share her apartment and they ended up in a brief relationship. It came to a quick end and Bonnier received many text messages from Pelletier demanding that they get back together. The Crown alleges Pelletier then waited outside Bonnier's workplace for a long time and followed her as she headed home before he stabbed her many times on Oct. 19, 2021. The attack was captured by a surveillance camera and the video was shown to the jury. 'It ends insane because (the relationship) started insane,' Pelletier told the jury. He also referenced the popular song Creep by Radiohead, sung from the perspective of an alienated man attracted to a woman he knows he has ultimately no chance with. Pelletier said he believes Bonnier 'had a crush' on him from the moment they met despite the significant differences in age. She was 24 when she was killed. Days after she agreed to let him live in the apartment, Pelletier said, Bonnier put on makeup and did her hair to prepare to go out with friends. A COVID-19 health measure had been lifted, Pelletier said, and Montreal's terrasses were opening up for the first time in a long time. Pelletier said it seemed to him that Bonnier wanted him to see her with makeup and her hair prepared for a night out. 'I knew that she was the most beautiful girl I had ever seen,' Pelletier said. 'That's where it gets special. 'This was something special. It ended the way you saw it (in the surveillance video).' Pelletier also admitted that he ended up being obsessed with Bonnier. 'This girl just occupied all the space in my mind,' he said. 'A psychiatric evaluation would have been interesting to you, but we don't have that right now.' This story was originally published June 4, 2025 at 2:58 PM.
