The ‘hideous’ sexual assault problem at music festivals is causing major tensions in Europe

[philosslayer]

Source: Washington Post

Police handed out bracelets to attendees at Sweden's Bravalla Festival during the weekend. They were emblazoned with this reminder: "Don't Grope."

The wristbands were part of a larger police campaign to raise awareness about sexual assault, particularly amid music festival season.

“We’re hoping mainly that this will get boys to think twice," national police chief Dan Eliasson told TT News Agency. "A lot of them don’t seem to realize that this is a crime."

But by the end of the music festival, police said they were investigating five alleged rapes and more than a dozen suspected sexual assaults, the Associated Press reported.

Read more: https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/worldviews/wp/2016/07/07/the-hideous-sexual-assault-problem-at-music-festivals-is-causing-major-tensions-in-europe/?tid=hybrid_collaborative_2_na

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Coinciding with the Brexit vote, and with the rise of the right wing in Europe, suddenly sexual assault is going through the roof. Is anyone really surprised? Hopefully the bracelets will have an impact.

[Squinch]

1. This is not suddenly. This has been going on for a long time. And 1) the bracelets will not make a

difference. If there were a string of assaults against men, and the response of the police was to give the men bracelets, I shudder to think of the protests and outrage that would follow. AND
2) the perpetrators are not "boys." They are rapists and molesters.

[840high]

14. .that^

[generalwoody]

2. Hopefully the bracelets are inscribed in Arabic and Pashto

[uppityperson]

5. Why?

[Igel]

11. The assumption is transparent.

That immigrants and refugees (I distinguish between the two) are responsible.

The best the article says is there's no evidence this is the case. Which can only mean "given to the media and available to the public."

Heck, in most of the cases there's no evidence presented showing that the sexual assaults were committed by men against women, and not men against men or women against women.

That said, neither assumption is worth anything at all.

[niyad]

20. what flavour pizza do you like?

[Travis_0004]

3. Better security, and arrest and deport anybody who is commtiting sexual assult

That will have more of an impact than a bracelet.

[CanonRay]

4. This^^^^

[niyad]

21. where should they deport any citizens? not all rapists and sexual assaulters are non-citizens

[niyad]

6. why is hideous in quotation marks?

[AntiBank]

10. WaPo did it

[niyad]

17. I know, and I would like to know why. it is like they are dismissing the situation.

[AntiBank]

19. of course they are

It doesn't fit the glorious narrative.

[Sand Rat Expat]

22. People frequently use quotation marks to express emphasis.

It's completely and totally incorrect to do so, but lots of people do it anyway. Drives me bonkers every time I see it.

[niyad]

24. and people frequently use quotation marks to dismiss that which is enclosed.

[Democat]

25. It's probably a quote from someone in the article

Usually that's why they use quotes in a headline.

[romanic]

7. "Hopefully the bracelets will have an impact."

[christx30]

8. The only way they will have an impact is if

they are wrapped around a baseball bat.

"If I don't know you or give permission, I would sincerely appreciate it if you didn't grope my breasts. Thank you very much."
Something seriously wrong with society if someone has to wear that. It should be taught right after being taught to count from 1-10.

[niyad]

18. baseballl bat, electric cattle prod. . .

[AntiBank]

9. I know

[smirkymonkey]

13. My reaction exactly!

Whoever thought up that remarkably STUPID idea should be (sorry, I can't say it), but you know what I mean.

I really can't effing believe how clueless some people can be!

[840high]

16. ..... Sure they will

[Igel]

12. A post upthread seems to baselessly assume that the gropers and assaulters are immigrants.

This seems to make the same baseless assumption that the gropers and assaulters were right-winger racists.


One was called out. Neither assumption has much going for it. The immigrant assumption has a lot of media reports behind it, so there's that.

[Sand Rat Expat]

23. Honestly surprised that poster hasn't been tombstoned already...

Seems like a very obvious troll.

Then again, never ascribe to malice that which can be adequately explained by stupidity...

[Democat]

26. There have been lots of articles posted at DU saying just that

How is it an assumption if there are countless articles about a problem?

[bdwker]

15. Good luck Europe.

nt

[snooper2]

27. who are the people doing sexual assaults again philosslayer?

[philosslayer]

28. It's quite simple, isn't it?

Men are the people assaulting women.

[snooper2]

29. I thought they were asshole fundies assaulting women

[philosslayer]

30. Well they do seem to be rising in power in Europe

Coinciding with the escalation of sexual assaults. Seems to make sense to me.

[bdwker]

31. Still one more..

mother lode of bad ideas.