Mass sexual assaults on New Year's Eve

[socko]

The mayor of Cologne has summoned police for crisis talks after about 80 women reported sexual assaults and muggings by men on New Year's Eve.The scale of the attacks on women at the city's central railway station has shocked Germany. About 1,000 drunk and aggressive young men were involved.

City police chief Wolfgang Albers called it "a completely new dimension of crime". The men were of Arab or North African appearance, he said. Women were also targeted in Hamburg. But the Cologne assaults - near the city's iconic cathedral - were the most serious, German media report. At least one woman was raped, and many were groped.
Most of the crimes reported to police were robberies. A volunteer policewoman was among those sexually molested.

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What is particularly disturbing is that the attacks appear to have been organised. Around 1,000 young men arrived in large groups, seemingly with the specific intention of carrying out attacks on women.

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Wider problem
In Hamburg several women told police that gangs of men had molested and robbed them on New Year's Eve on the Reeperbahn - a street known for its boisterous night life.
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The justice minister warned against linking the crimes to the issue of migrants and refugees.

source: http://www.bbc.com/news/world-europe-35231046

This is a story that will bring out the racism and xenophobia in a lot of people. This happened in cities across Germany on New Year's Eve but was made public only on the 5th. Most of the attackers are allegedly of Arabic or North African origin and did not speak any German, according to witnesses and victims. Still, I haven't actually seen any youtube videos or read any of the dozens of police reports. (In an age of ubiquitous cell phone cameras, this leads one to wonder why. Also, given that anti-immigration sentiment is as strong as it is, how reliable are these details?)

We are warned not to link crimes to refugees, but the media always reports numbers that tell their own story. The city of Cologne has brought in around 10,000 migrants over the past year and Germany around 100000. The Cologne mob was made of 1000 men, but it is unknown if any are migrants, according to the mainstream press. Saying it that way makes good headlines and must help sales without the press having to directly blame any group.

On one hand, it is important to help people who are in danger, but how many can be helped before the host country's own infrastructure and ability to protect its own citizens is over run? Is public safety even an issue or should it (stories like this) be ignored?

 

[thujone]

Mr Maas said "the law does not discriminate regarding a person's origin or passport. All are equal before the law".

This guy should watch the first half-hour of Scarface because clearly he doesn't understand that people who have been brutalized by war might act differently from the natives who have only ever known civil society.

 

[socko]

I thought it would be interesting to try to deconstruct the recent news reports. Public policy depends on who is interpreting the stories.

 

[thujone]

has there actually been a legitimate confirmation on the number of people involved? i mean a group of ten or twenty would be believable, but a thousand just starts to sound like propaganda.

 

[tokezu]

^ Iirc I read in the german news that it might have been a group of 50-80, but possibly much less. The 1000 people figure was regarding the whole mass of people gathering in front of the trainstation getting drunk and throwing fireworks at each other, as it is tradition in this beautiful country ^^

I am sickened by how the media is playing this story! Sexual assaults are business as usual on NYE and at any big gathering of drunk people here in Germany. I don't want to downplay these incidents, it must have been a really horrifying experience for those women, but I think it's very telling that this only makes such news, when it can be pinned on arab/north african looking guys (which btw is a common description of people who have lived here for several generations, but are seen as arabs/northafricans who are german "only on paper"). Where is the moral outrage about all the sexual assaults and rapes at the Oktoberfest? Sexism and sexual violence knows no borders.

I really don't know what to make of that organised crime angle...

 

[-=SS=-]

I'm absolutely amazed at the ability of people to clutch at straws, this story speaks for itself and the level of denial I see here and across the internet is incredibly disturbing to say the least. Everyone knows the score but are too afraid to just come out and say it.

The level of delusion is captured perfectly by the major of Cologne and her comments regarding the incident, and how women should adhere to a 'code of conduct' such as staying at arms lengths from men they do not know. This reminds me of primary school authority figures and their rules, absolute horseshit disguised as something legitimate that 'appears' to deal with the issue at hand but in reality does not even address it. Her comments are absolutely fucking moronic and she, and Merkel, should be strung up from lampposts. Absolute traitors to the German nation.

 

[-=SS=-]

I am sickened by how the media is playing this story! Sexual assaults are business as usual on NYE and at any big gathering of drunk people here in Germany. Where is the moral outrage about all the sexual assaults and rapes at the Oktoberfest? Sexism and sexual violence knows no borders.

Business as usual? I don't know what dreg shithole you live in but where I live NYE celebrations are peaceful, if a bit drunken. I have never seen groups of 20 men surround women and try to forcefully grope them. I see plenty of crude advances and poor attempts at chatting up, but no collectively organized sexual assaults.. let alone on this scale in one place. 80 incidents, and that's what has been reported so far. You're having a laugh if you think that's par the norm.

As for Octokber fest.. how many people are we talking there at that event.. and where people get too drunk to defend themselves. This Cologne event is not in the same league. Organized groups assaulting women who are not passed out fuck face drunk.

 

[socko]

I'm absolutely amazed at the ability of people to clutch at straws, this story speaks for itself and the level of denial I see here and across the internet is incredibly disturbing to say the least. Everyone knows the score but are too afraid to just come out and say it.
....

There are very few concrete details about what happened. For example, no attackers have been identified. I don't think anyone has even been arrested. There are no films or photos, not even from a mobile phone, and nearly everybody has a mobile phone in Germany. We do know that there have been around 100 women who reported to police that they were attacked. Everything else is speculation. I was hoping somebody might have more details.

I posted the article because people are drawing two very different but firm conclusions about what happened despite lack of information. The issue of refugees is very polarizing, and the media is obviously profiting from this, just as it has cashed in on people's fears of different groups (blacks in the American South generations ago, illegal Mexican immigrants today, and other groups for hundreds of years.

 

[One Thousand Words]

This guy should watch the first half-hour of Scarface because clearly he doesn't understand that people who have been brutalized by war might act differently from the natives who have only ever known civil society.

If we are talking about actual Syrian refugees, which seems to be alluded to, we are talking about a relatively civilised society which has only recently been ravaged by civil conflict. We are talking about adults who would know the difference between right and wrong.

Many people flee wars to create a better life and I simply cannot condone grown men acting in such a way no matter what their social or religious background.

Having said that I wouldn't use this as an excuse to turn my back on any group of refugees from these wars. Arrest, convict and deport the guilty following correct legal procedures and let the remaining 98% of refugees to be free to restart their families lives with the full support of our civilised society.

 

[spacejunk]

Where is the moral outrage about all the sexual assaults and rapes at the Oktoberfest? Sexism and sexual violence knows no borders

Exactly. This story is hard to make sense of, but it is a dog-whistle for the closed borders crowd - which speaks volumes about their integrity, jumping on the bandwagon of this story before it has even has content or any confirmation as to what took place.
Never let the truth get in the way of a steaming pile of speculation and stereotypes.

 

[-=SS=-]

Exactly. This story is hard to make sense of.. before it has even has content or any confirmation as to what took place.

Reports: Cologne NYE assaulters were largely asylum-seekers
http://www.dw.com/en/reports-cologne-nye-assaulters-were-largely-asylum-seekers/a-18966406

A majority of men who sexually harassed women in Cologne on New Year's Eve were asylum seekers, German media reports. City police reportedly did not want to publicize this because of its "politically awkward" nature.

"For the mostly Arabic offenders, sexual assault was the priority, or, to express it from their point of view, their sexual amusement was the priority. A group of men would encircle a female victim, close the loop, and then start groping the woman," WamS quoted the officer as saying.

Never let the truth get in the way of a steaming pile of speculation and stereotypes.

What truth? You were just claiming we don't know the truth of the situation! Careful mate, your bias is showing.. check yourself.

 

[zzz101]

the only reason we're even talking about this now is because of the outcry on social media. this happened on NYE, it took THREE+ days for the media to even post a small story about it. Merkel isn't sorry this happened, she's sorry that it was reported in the news. This was a organized/premeditated attack. At a public train station, public areas.. It's not the first time and it's not the last time.

instead of German Govt. telling those criminals what is up, they tell the VICTIMS what is up. the amount of victim blaming going on is disgusting. Telling them to keep at arms length, to avoid mass groups in public/stick to your own group, and worse - to cover skin / arms, change the way you dress. WTF?

These are not just a few bad apples. To stop this sort of stuff, women will be told not go out in public unless accompanied by a man, better yet, wear a head-scarf, even better, don't go out in public, ever. if you go out in public, and dress like you do now, according to these criminals; it is their right to assault you

 

[zzz101]

I was brought up to respect all others, including to respect women. I was also brought up to respect other religions. I'm so confused!

 

[thujone]

If we are talking about actual Syrian refugees, which seems to be alluded to, we are talking about a relatively civilised society which has only recently been ravaged by civil conflict. We are talking about adults who would know the difference between right and wrong.

Many people flee wars to create a better life and I simply cannot condone grown men acting in such a way no matter what their social or religious background.

Having said that I wouldn't use this as an excuse to turn my back on any group of refugees from these wars. Arrest, convict and deport the guilty following correct legal procedures and let the remaining 98% of refugees to be free to restart their families lives with the full support of our civilised society.

the article speaks of North Africans, so unless the Germans are terrible at geography I assume they were alluding to Libya and neighbouring [failed] states.

as for the sexual assaults, the more time drags on without any evidence the more it feels like we're all being hoaxed by white nationalist groups...

 

[zzz101]

if that's what you think, sure buddy.

I got to travel through Europe make friends / experience all the awesome / different cultures that were made of migrants over the years. I got to experience all of it. Sadly, i can't say the same for my nieces/nephews when they get older


if i am in someone else's house i follow THEIR rules. I don't bring my own rules and enforce them.Why bite the hand that feeds you?


there isn't enough resources or police to deal with it. Unless they fund it more. EU will turn into a police state and privacy will be no such thing

 

[-=SS=-]

as for the sexual assaults, the more time drags on without any evidence the more it feels like we're all being hoaxed by white nationalist groups...

Haha what. You're now officially scraping the bottom of the barrel. I would apply the label conspiracy theorist to you based on what you just said but that would be doing a disservice to conspiracy theorists. The desperation in this thread is incredible, just a total wall of denial.

You think a report of 80 incidents of sexual assault and one of rape was just made up? Really? Do you not think Reuters would have checked their source?

 

[thujone]

i'm not married to the idea but it's not like stranger things have never happened

 

[cashfl0w_d0nkey]

Having said that I wouldn't use this as an excuse to turn my back on any group of refugees from these wars. Arrest, convict and deport the guilty following correct legal procedures and let the remaining 98% of refugees to be free to restart their families lives with the full support of our civilised society.

I agree with this. There are certainly some bad characters coming from this conflict that we don't want in our communities. Still, shutting out the problem doesn't make it go away. A humanitarian end to the war is in everyone's best interest.

 

[zzz101]

some?

if a women is in public without a headscarf she is a slut, and deserves to be assaulted, in Islams eyes

women can just cover up fully and this wont happen

most of them don't rape or assault, but nearly all of them allow it. Nearly all of them blame the victims because most weren't accompanied by men or they were not covered up.

This happens EVERYDAY in the world, including north Africa / parts of the Middle East and India. Police blame victims when these things happen

Sweden is now the no.1 rape capital of the world

 

[L2R]

if a women is in public without a headscarf she is a slut, and deserves to be assaulted, in Islams eyes

"she was asking for it due to what she was wearing" is the argument so synonymous with non islamic rapists (westerners) it has become a cliche.