Italian police are investigating a series of suspected “Islamic ritual” sexual assaults of several young women by around 40 men on New Year's Eve in Milan.
Ansa Public News Agency report Milan prosecutors have announced that they have opened an investigation into multiple gang sexual assaults and sexual assaults committed by “second-generation North African men” in Milan's Piazza Duomo on New Year's Eve.
So far, at least six Belgian tourists in their early 20s, two Italian women, one woman from South America and one woman from the United Kingdom have entered the country. identified as a potential victim of an attack. Police expect more victims to emerge in the coming days.
The investigation began following testimony from Laura Barbier, a 20-year-old Belgian woman. She claims that she and her friend, four women and two men, were surrounded by about 40 men and sexually molested them.
“We were trapped and helpless in the face of such violence. It was a waking nightmare.” said Belgian media. “We were surrounded and couldn't move!'' They were touching us both above and below our clothes while holding hands! Despite wearing a jacket and scarf. And it lasted 10 minutes, which is a very long time in this kind of situation. ”
She added in the comment: reported According to Italian broadcaster RAI, there were about 40 men between the ages of 20 and 40. After finally escaping, the group approached a police officer and described the horrifying incident in English, to which the female officer allegedly replied: Please do whatever you want, I'm sorry. ”
According to report From an Italian newspaper Il GiornaleMilan prosecutors suspect that the alleged sexual assault was a manifestation of an “Islamic ritual” known as taharush gamea, or “collective sexual harassment in crowds.” paper said The attacks generally target “arrogant women who have committed the crime of appearing in public.”
Dozens of the alleged attackers were reported by telegraph paper that they were displaying Palestinian or other national flags during the attack;
The first widely documented “Taharush Gamea” incident occurred in Egypt in 2005, when the government allegedly hired male gangs to sexually assault female protesters and journalists. Ta. amnesty international reported In 2015, it was reported that since 2012, “Gang sexual assaults, including rape, have been a regular occurrence at protests near Cairo's Tahrir Square.”
The practice has since spread to Europe, most notably the 2016 New Year's Eve Cologne attack, which received international attention from Breitbart London. In total, approximately 1,200 people were sexually assaulted by groups of men believed to be North African or Arab. The incident occurred after then-German Chancellor Angela Merkel opened the door to mass immigration, allowing approximately 1 million immigrants to enter the country.
Group sexual assault incidents have also occurred in Italy. include On New Year's Eve 2022, nine young women were victims of similar sexual assaults in Milan's Piazza del Duomo, and prosecutors say the attack may have been a copy of an incident two years earlier. That's what I think.
