Danish teen fought off her attacker - now she'll face fine

[branford]

205. Of course pepper spray, and virtually all realistic self-defense tools,

will involve some pain, discomfort and/or means to disable an attacker. That's precisely the point! Your don't stop an violent attacker with feathers, skittles and happy thoughts.

You can also dispense with the ridiculous straw man arguments. Neither I nor anyone else here suggested pepper spray was a "harmless toy." It is a tool, nothing more, nothing less. Most importantly, pepper spray is at least minimally effective at its designated task, and highly unlikely to cause permanent or lethal injuries (although I personally care not one iota if an actual rapist suffers serious or debilitating injuries while in the commission of the crime, an opinion shared by the vast majority of people liberal and otherwise, and I further support far more effective, and generally lethal, self-defense tools).

I also believe you're really missing the point in much of this discussion. Even a relatively average healthy young man can easily overpower and sexually assault most women. It sadly happens every day. Rapists and other violent criminals don't need pepper spray to employ their violence, but for most women, the sick and elderly, etc., it's one of the only tools available that gives them any fighting chance at all, no less without much risk to others (as the story of the girl in the OP amply demonstrates). Your perspective is little more than demanding we apply law of the jungle, the strong prey on the weak, and it is most decidedly illiberal and unprogressive.

Lastly, you totally failed to address my point about prosecutorial discretion. Even you concede this girl should not face any penalties under the circumstances. Nevertheless, you appear to support prosecution to ensure women, at least in Denmark, don't even consider any proper means to protect themselves. The women (and anyone else) subject to violent assaults are simply unfortunate faceless statistical anomalies in you entirely mythical question quest for a human society free of all violence.

Ironically, all that demanding victimhood and defenseless in the face of increasing risks to public and personal safety will do is ensure that liberal candidates lose more and more elections, both here and overseas. This is the very reason for the overwhelming shock, disgust and anger in response to the OP's story, as demonstrated by the reactions in numerous other media outlets and here on DU by a very liberal membership.