New Year Eve's Coordinated Sexual Assault Attacks in Cologne

[Anonymous]

This is an outrage. Something similar happened to me in Spain one new year's eve..there were groups of foreign men roaming in Barcelona and looking for victims., but this brings it to a new level.

http://www.theguardian.com/world/2016/jan/05/germany-crisis-cologne-new-years-eve-sex-attacks

http://www.nytimes.com/2016/01/06/world/europe/coordinated-attacks-on-women-in-cologne-were-unprecedented-germany-says.html?hp&action=click&pgtype=Homepage&clickSource=story-heading&module=first-column-region®ion=top-news&WT.nav=top-news

German police are investigating reports that scores of women were sexually assaulted and mugged in Cologne city centre during New Year’s Eve celebrations, in what a minister called a “completely new dimension of crime”.

Between 500 and 1,000 men described as drunk and aggressive are believed to have been behind the attacks on partygoers in the centre of the western German city. Whether they were working as a single group or in separate gangs remains unclear.

“Sexual crimes took place on a huge scale,” said the police president, Wolfgang Albers. “The crimes were committed by a group of people who from appearance were largely from the north African or Arab world

One of the victims, identified only as Katja L, told the Kölner Express: “When we came out of the station, we were very surprised by the group we met, which was made up only of foreign men … We walked through the group of men, there was a tunnel through them, we walked through … I was groped everywhere. It was a nightmare. Although we shouted and hit them, they men didn’t stop. I was horrified and I think I was touched around 100 times over the 200 metres.”

[Anonymous]

This happened to a friend of mine years ago in the London Tube. It was not sexual in nature, but a group of what appeared to be foreign born men surrounded her and stole her purse--with money, passport, jewelry, etc. They surrounded her and jostled her first. Definitely organized and preplanned.

[Anonymous]

Such a crowd -- it seems obvious now to see that they should have been dispersed.

The experience sounds pretty awful. Pepper spray probably wouldnt have made anything better, but it might deter them in the future, or make them more aggressive. What other self defense weapons are legal in Germany?

[Anonymous]

The reaction from the mayor is sure victim blaming:
Ms. Reker said that city officials would begin working on measures to help young women protect themselves and to explain the city’s attitudes and norms to its many newcomers.

“We will explain our Carnival much better to people who come from other cultures,” she said, “so there won’t be any confusion about what constitutes celebratory behavior in Cologne, which has nothing to do with a sexual frankness.”

Yes because that will really address the problem. Maybe the young women should start wearing burkas to protect themselves and not go outside.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:This happened to a friend of mine years ago in the London Tube. It was not sexual in nature, but a group of what appeared to be foreign born men surrounded her and stole her purse--with money, passport, jewelry, etc. They surrounded her and jostled her first. Definitely organized and preplanned.

What happened in Cologne appears to be different. groups of thieves "working" on public transportation, sometimes aggressive, are not uncommon in European countries unfortunately. they may be from North Africa but also from Eastern Europe. But this is a case of a mob of 1000 men groping and sexually assaulting women. The descriptions I read in various newspapers (this is all over the news in Europe, not just in Germany and not just on right wing newspapers) reminded me of descriptions of assaults by large group of men in Tahir square in Cairo during the anti Mubarak protests, when scores of women were attacked ( if I remember even a US journalist was raped and her colleagues attacked).

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:The reaction from the mayor is sure victim blaming:
Ms. Reker said that city officials would begin working on measures to help young women protect themselves and to explain the city’s attitudes and norms to its many newcomers.

“We will explain our Carnival much better to people who come from other cultures,” she said, “so there won’t be any confusion about what constitutes celebratory behavior in Cologne, which has nothing to do with a sexual frankness.”

Yes because that will really address the problem. Maybe the young women should start wearing burkas to protect themselves and not go outside.

I read that too I found it unbelievable. "measures to help young women protect themselves"? the women assaulted were out with friends and family members on new year's eve in crowded areas. what kind of measures should have they taken to protect themselves? this comment is outrageous, especially coming from a woman. it is also kind of depressing that there is a need to explain to newcomers that tens of men surrounding and sexually assaulting a woman is not cool. these are grown men, not little kids.

[Anonymous]

Why is this under "Political Discussion?"

[Anonymous]

German women and girls are no longer safe in their own country. But they are welcoming more refugees... fine.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Why is this under "Political Discussion?"

Why not?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:The reaction from the mayor is sure victim blaming:
Ms. Reker said that city officials would begin working on measures to help young women protect themselves and to explain the city’s attitudes and norms to its many newcomers.

“We will explain our Carnival much better to people who come from other cultures,” she said, “so there won’t be any confusion about what constitutes celebratory behavior in Cologne, which has nothing to do with a sexual frankness.”

Yes because that will really address the problem. Maybe the young women should start wearing burkas to protect themselves and not go outside.

I read that too I found it unbelievable. "measures to help young women protect themselves"? the women assaulted were out with friends and family members on new year's eve in crowded areas. what kind of measures should have they taken to protect themselves? this comment is outrageous, especially coming from a woman. it is also kind of depressing that there is a need to explain to newcomers that tens of men surrounding and sexually assaulting a woman is not cool. these are grown men, not little kids.

Please, hundreds of women getting sexually assaulted is a small price to pay to bring glorious diversity to Germany.

[Anonymous]

Wow. This is fu*kin outrageous. What will they do now?

[Anonymous]

rape and sexual assault is now = sexual frankness

[Anonymous]

A picture how the train station looked that night:

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:The reaction from the mayor is sure victim blaming:
Ms. Reker said that city officials would begin working on measures to help young women protect themselves and to explain the city’s attitudes and norms to its many newcomers.

“We will explain our Carnival much better to people who come from other cultures,” she said, “so there won’t be any confusion about what constitutes celebratory behavior in Cologne, which has nothing to do with a sexual frankness.”

Yes because that will really address the problem. Maybe the young women should start wearing burkas to protect themselves and not go outside.

I read that too I found it unbelievable. "measures to help young women protect themselves"? the women assaulted were out with friends and family members on new year's eve in crowded areas. what kind of measures should have they taken to protect themselves? this comment is outrageous, especially coming from a woman. it is also kind of depressing that there is a need to explain to newcomers that tens of men surrounding and sexually assaulting a woman is not cool. these are grown men, not little kids.

They won't stop unless they are *made* to stop. That is what their actions say.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:A picture how the train station looked that night:

Is there a single German in that place?