Mass sexual assaults in Cologne on New Years Eve Part II

[Pinkchampchoccies]

Just in case people want to continue discussing this.

"I don't have fb, but suffragette colours sound like the way to go." this sits best with me too.

Does anyone know if there re any issues about reclaiming this? Maybe wrt the recent Suffragette movie, or any copy right issues, unintended connotations etc?

Who goes first? I like the idea of reviving the Suffragettes. In terms of 'marketing' it sounds vintage and therefore kinda 'on trend', less loaded and off-putting (sadly) than feminists and they were known to be fearless and vocal.

If not unintended dodgy connotations and copyright issues (maybe re recent film) I will put it on my FB. Does anyone know how to overlay a profile pic with it? clueless

I'd like to contact my mps and mep too. I'm not confident with wording though.

It was mentioned earlier about something like a template letter and sending to mps. Maybe out together a list if the mp and meps email addresses then everyone who wishes to do can send the email to all mps if all parties? So say if every mp, received a few hundred (maybe more?) emails each asking about the same thing coukd they ignore or would they have to listen? Would it make them think about policies for the next election, like if plenty if women say they think it's a big issue for them, would they reflect that when canvassing for votes and offer us something? (Or am I being way too niave?)

I think it was mentioned to campaign for sexual offences to be recognised as such throughout Europe, that it's rape regardless if you fight back or freeze in terror, that groping if women should not be tolerated and telling women to stay home is totally unacceptable. Making it primarily about the risk to women's rights and the differences in laws across Europe.

Something I have to offer is time, but I'm not confident or anywhere near articulate to form a template, I can help work on a list of mps and their contact info though and I'm more than happy to take the time to send as many emails as needed if it would make even a tiny bit of difference. There's a chance we may get some direct replies between us. And if women in other European countries did the same with their mep and local mps, then theirs the potential for every lots and lots of women across the whole of Europe to come together and say the same concerns to the European Parliament. Am I being stupid in thinking they'd have to listen?

I love the idea of turning the 0 in 2016 to the woman symbol. It could be the logo/icon/motto for the whole action and used on profile pics etc in conjunction with contacting mps, petitions etc. It's an icon that doesn't mention politics,race,religion etc - so shouldn't receive criticism of racism. It covers women full stop. Regardless of their country, religion, beliefs etc.

I want to do something! I just don't know where or how to start.

If not unintended dodgy connotations and copyright issues (maybe re recent film) I will put it on my FB. Does anyone know how to overlay a profile pic with it? clueless

I'm not on FB but will set one up to use for this.
There are photo editing apps that overlay two pictures, it's usually as simple as selecting the two pics and the app does the rest. I can have a look for free/paid apps on android and ios and list a few later? I'm an active member on a busyish mobile gaming/app forum and I
If I ask there they will recommend some to me?

A group of migrants invaded a school in Calais yesterday morning. - someone commenting on the Deborah Orr article mentioned it.

www.lavoixdunord.fr/region/marck-la-colere-du-maire-apres-l-intrusion-de-ia33b48599n3259108

www.facebook.com/pierrehenri.dumont/posts/946131008802182

(the mayor's statement above)

No-one was hurt but you can understand how frightened people across Europe are at this lawlessness, and how abandoned they feel by their elected representatives.

I also emailed the Guardian today to ask them to delete my account rather than putting me on pre-moderation. I told them in great detail why I'm never reading or buying their publication again. It makes me really sad. I used to revere the Guardian of old.

liesel I share your desires to do something, anything

I'm massively time short. But between us all I think we could make a difference. Keep the agenda up. In my head I think something that involves all women, of all cultures would work best.

Why isn't their a European wide law relating to women and violence against them. The EU regulates everything from fruit size to human rights to employment law.

There's this app on ios, free, doesn't seem to have any iaps, it requires ios 8 or above (I'm still using 7) but I'm sure there's loads more similar.

photo overlaying

Coverage of Pegida rally on sky news now. Rapefugees not welcome.

Suffragette colours ....I like the idea but I think there might be some racist connotations???? Didn't follow the story but something about one of them saying I'd rather be a rebel than a slave or something...?
Which in the circumstances might be a problem.
(I rarely use FB - I don't have a profile pic on there etc have never overlaid with anything -or shared anything -but I would put this on...really think we need to keep this in the news...not let it be swept under the carpet...)

Explains what's currently happening with The Guardian newspaper.

unlucky women are going to end up as slaves if we're not permitted to go out at night, not able to wear what we want, are forced to submit to sexual assault, can't go out without our keepers minders etc.

I think I've read most of both threads, but might have missed bits. Has there been any mention of the credible intel about the intended attack on Munich Station on NYE, that resulted in them closing it down for the night? By "attack," we've been conditioned to expect bombs, but maybe this is the new way to intimidate the liberal West.

The news report I had read days ago now said they were specifically looking for a certain number of suicide bombers. Two stations were shut in Munich.

I don't see why we cannot use the word slaves in case it upsets someone. Or have I missed your point unlucky? Some people are too ready to take real or imagined offence.

Somewhat if some people are offended by words, I'm more offended by actions such as assaults on women, people being trafficked, ecocide, fracking, so much to get angry about.
Does that mean then that we cannot talk about modern slavery, still alive and well on giant fish factories out at sea, amongst other places, see Greenpeace for one source of info.

Sorry, bit of ramble perhaps there, can't type and listen to someone talking to me at the same time, hopeless multi-tasker

Clam, yes, I heard that there might be a link too - that what they picked up on might have referred not to a gun or bomb attack but to an orchestrated attack on women. One witness of the Cologne attacks said she saw several men who appeared to be giving instructions to larger groups of men and sending them on their way into the crowd. It can't be coincidental that it's happened in so many cities.

It isn't racist to use the term slaves. There have and have been slaves/slavers of every creed and colour imaginable since the beginning of time.

www.telegraph.co.uk/women/womens-life/11914757/Racism-and-the-suffragettes-the-uncomfortable-truth.html
tbh I haven't read all of it - and I agree with hiddenhome about women being and becoming slaves - which is what I thought that statement was about... but then apparently there is more to the story ...

I'm not sure that it's right to petition our MPs/MEPs for equality in law across Europe when it comes to the issue of sexual assault: that's something for national governments to decide, through the democratic process, not the EU which, as we all know, has a massive democratic deficit anyway. Asking them to raise the issue that there are so many different interpretations, in terms of raising awareness is more appropriate imo, but isn't really something concrete.

Is there anyone out there with lobbying experience? And what is it, really, we're asking for? Preservation/promotion of equality? Assurances this won't happen again? What would be a satisfactory outcome of all this? Is the issue that it happened? That left-wing media are minimising it? That it's gained very little press (until the threads on MN - call my cynical if you like, but I strongly suspect that's why we're starting to see more articles in the Guardian...) internationally at all? That we want to reclaim the right to talk about controversial issues without being shut down by claims of racism? That the victim blaming wouldn't happen if the victims were male? What is really at the crux of this? I think we need to identify a couple of main points if we want to create an actual campaign.

I think, from a lobbying perspective also, there need to be specific and achievable goals/requests - otherwise, it's far too easy for politicians to continue to ignore and minimise.

Anyone who is a Guardian reader and is intending to stop, or is angry about their (lack of) coverage, please write to them and express your disgust: and if you use social media, please also highlight this there.

I'm afraid I know nothing whatsoever about FB, as I don't use it - but I think it's a good idea if someone has the know-how to produce the overlay. I like 2016's idea, but I am not knowledgeable about the use of colours and symbols etc

I've just read the article that unlucky linked to - it's seen as disrespectful because the suffragettes had the choice to be rebels, whereas black Americans didn't have any choice about slavery.

My take-away message from the article is that it continues to interest me that slavery is still persistently seen through the lens of the black African experience, when there are people alive today who were enslaved by the Japanese within living memory, and there are currently, in 2016, more slaves in the world than at any times in history before. There are even - shock horror - white, European slaves.

The "slave" furore was caused by Americans insisting on interpreting every line of dialogue in the film in the light of their own history. If this line of dialogue had been uttered by an American in the context of an American film, "rebel" would have meant Confederate in the Civil War, so the character would have unequivocally been making a racist statement. However what the American critics seem not to have grasped is that it was a film about British history with British characters and there is no reason at all to suppose tgey would have given the words that interpretation.

It also seems that there was indeed considerable racism within the US suffrage movement, which I suppose increased the tensions over the film for the US market - whereas, as the article points out, one of the poster girls of the movement in the UK was a woman of colour.

Women who are living under fundamentalist islam are undoubtedly slaves. This is what is intended for us, the women of Europe.

I like your post hefzi and I agree with a lot of it. But I disagree re a European response. This to me is a very European problem. To put it bluntly, free movement of people within Europe means that Germany's issues will rapidly spread.

I would like to see a full and open discussion about the effects of mass immigration of young males from completely opposing cultures without any thought whatsoever as to their integration, either short or long term.

And I would like to see proper reporting of the facts and figures of these attacks. No cover ups.

Of course, hidden, it is permissible to own slaves in Islam...

Deutsche Welle has just posted an article about planned revisions to German law on sexual assault. Proposals apparently predate the attacks in Cologne and elsewhere, but would have a bearing on any cases arising out of them:
www.dw.com/en/germany-set-to-finally-update-rape-law/a-18967875

just listened to Any Answers on iplayer, hoping that it would be an improvement on the ultra-bland answers to the issue on Any Questions. How many minutes were given to the subject? None.