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Original poster

Cologne sex attack are like Birmingham on a Saturday night?

28 replies

Turbinaria · 30/01/2016 08:38

Searched for this topic and was suprised not to find anything - Jess Phillips on Question Time this week deflects question on immigration and Cologne sex attacks by saying 'similar' crimes happen in Birmingham city centre every weekend. The guardian gives more info from her www.theguardian.com/world/2016/jan/29/labour-mp-jess-phillips-defends-remarks-about-cologne-sex-attacks

The attacks in Cologne appear to be organised via social media which is why so many were involved - it marks a tipping point towards the industrialisation of this sexually motivated criminal activity - allowing perpetrators to hide in a crowd and overwhelm the police.

I can't believe this does happen on any scale in Birmingham so why would a feminist such as Jess Phillips ignore this and instead focus on the facts that DV and sexual assaults happen in Britain already etc which misses the specific issue raised?

OP posts:
senua · 30/01/2016 09:01

I'm bemused.
Broad Street is where all the clubs are, so if anything is going to happen then it's going to happen there. There are always Saturday night idiots (of both gender) - so I will agree with Jess Phillips on that. But I am not aware of any organised Cologne-style attacks going on - she is drawing bad parallels (being charitable to her there).

so why would a feminist such as Jess Phillips ...
She seems hellbent on self publicity and won't let facts get in the way of a good headline. It's not about women, it's about her political career.Hmm
Got you talking, didn't it, so it seems to be working.

LurcioAgain · 30/01/2016 08:56

There are some very good posts on this thread about Jess Phillips minimising the issue, and the mis-reporting (extreme factual inaccuracy) in the Guardian. A couple of comments that stood out for me were these (I hope the posters don't mind me quoting them here - I thought their contributions were excellent):

JanuaryBrown
"I've emailed to ask Jess Phillips to clarify that she has indeed confused heckling with digital rape.

I look forward to her reply."

Yodeleeiay
"I wrote to the Guardian readers' editor too. Frankfurter Allgemeine (big, respected paper) is reporting today that the number of complaints continues to increase, and is currently 1016 (for Cologne only). So the Guardian had minimised it tenfold.

It also has a in-depth article looking at the possible causes of the attacks: power, dominance over women, anger, patriarchal family structures, crowd conduct. It questions whether it can be classed taharrush gameâ. "

AnnaForbes · 30/01/2016 08:53

Jess Philips has been talked about on the Cologne attack thread. Acknowledging the cultural/migrant element of these attacks is Labour's way of avoiding the inconvenient truth, there is a conflict in their agenda and women's rights are trumped by the desire to protect the EU. Juncker has also denied any link between the attacks and immigration Confused.

I think Jess Philips is a disgrace, most comments on the Independent website would agree. www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/home-news/labour-mp-jess-phillips-says-mass-cologne-sex-attacks-on-women-like-birmingham-every-weekend-a6840981.html