Well done and hello all!
This is the email I have sent to everyone I know:
"petition.parliament.uk/petitions/119385 petition.parliament.uk/petitions/119385
I don’t normally ask people to sign anything, I just assume that most of those I know and love have a pretty decent moral compass. I’ve been shocked recently though, by the number of people who have said ‘What Cologne attacks?’ and then ‘Yeah, but that was in Germany.’
The media took days to report it. That’s inexcusable.
The practise of tarrush gamea or sexually motivated group attacks, though fairly well documented in Egypt (or google ‘Tahrir Square sex attacks’ for a depressing long list) has not been reported in Europe until Cologne. There are now many other cases being reported across Europe along with a horrifying number of rapes and sex attacks against women.
I do not for one moment think all refugees or economic migrants are potential rapists, anymore than I believe all Yorkshire men to be serial killers. I do believe, along with the governments of Belgium, Norway and Finland, that immigration exposes glaring cultural differences that need to be acknowledged and addressed, either through training or education.
This will also protect migrants and asylum seekers from the sort of knee-jerk violent right-wing reactions that I fear may grow as long as we shy away from having these tricky conversations. That are already happening in mainland Europe.
I have been sent a request to sign a petition that asks the UK government to bring forward proposals for extra measures to uphold UK women’s rights, safety & freedom, and to expand police understanding-recognition-response to such behaviour
It will be responded to at 10,000 signatures and considered for debate at 100,000. So please forward this email to ten more people you think might want to have the issue debated.
I think an initial debate is an excellent starting point. If nothing else, women in the UK and Europe do need to be aware of the phenomenon, about the sensitive issues that have caused it to be ignored, under-reported and denied, and ask themselves why their basic right to safety would appear to be compromised by some governments and media.
By signing and asking the government to debate we are ensuring that women's rights are not bargained away for political ends.
And finally, the UK government has already tabled an Early Day Motion, so clearly there are concerns at a high level about the events in Cologne. www.parliament.uk/edm/2015-16/953 (Number 953 Attacks in European Cities) Please email your MP and urge them to sign that motion."