Italian police investigate NYE mass sexual molestation

From The Telegraph, Ansa Brasil and Notize IT

Italian authorities are investigating allegations that young women, including at least one from Britain, were molested by gangs of men carrying Palestinian and other flags on New Year’s Eve.

Six young Belgian tourists who were on holiday in Milan claim they were surrounded by a group of around 40 men and subjected to a terrifying ordeal in which the men put their hands up their skirts and tops.

The men are suspected to have molested other women, including some Italians and an unknown number of tourists from Spain and South America.  Among the victims was a young British woman who was in the city that night with her boyfriend, according to Sudinfo, a Belgian news outlet.

Police want to find out whether the attacks were planned and coordinated. Italian media reports on Friday cited a concept known in Arabic as ‘taharrush gamea’ or ‘taharrush jama’i’, which translates literally as ‘collective harassment’.

The investigations have uncovered a disturbing phenomenon known as “taharrush gamea,” which refers to collective harassment and mass sexual assault. The Arabic term first emerged in Egypt in 2005, during feminist protests in Tahrir Square, and has gained notoriety in other contexts, such as New Year’s Eve celebrations in Cologne in 2015. Investigators in Milan are examining surveillance footage to identify those responsible and better understand the dynamics of the events.

Authorities in Milan have called on potential victims and witnesses to come forward and provide information to the investigation. The situation has raised questions about public safety and the need for more effective preventive measures during crowded events. The testimony of the student from Liège, who described a traumatic experience, highlighted the vulnerability of women in crowded situations. Other victims, including a woman from Lombardy and a couple from Reggio Emilia, have also expressed their intention to report, contributing to an increasingly complex picture of assaults.

The episode allegedly occurred shortly after midnight on December 31, 2024, near the entrance to the Galleria Vittorio Emanuele II, a few steps from Piazza Duomo. Laura (one of the Belgian women) described the group as surrounded by a pack of 30-40 men, a number that made any attempt to escape impossible. “We were trapped and helpless in the face of such violence. They held our hands, while others groped us under our clothes and above. Despite our jackets and scarves, we felt everything,” Laura said. According to the young woman, the attack lasted about ten minutes, a time that in the confusion of the crowd seemed interminable.

The 20-year-old added that the group never fell to the ground thanks to the huge crowd that made it difficult to even move. However, the trauma suffered was considerable, leaving the young people in shock. “When we managed to free ourselves, we headed towards the exit of the Galleria, in Piazza Scala, where we told what had happened to a policewoman present on site,”

Italian police have travelled to Liege in Belgium to interview the women.

They have obtained video footage of the alleged attacks in Milan’s main square, Piazza del Duomo, which they hope will help identify the alleged assailants.

On New Year’s Eve, the area of ​​Piazza Duomo was under strict surveillance by an impressive security device deployed by the Police Headquarters. Milano. About 200 police officers, carabinieri and financial police were distributed in strategic points of the square and along the main entrances, including via Mengoni, via Marconi, and corso Vittorio Emanuele. Inside the area, there were 46 plainclothes investigators to monitor any criminal incidents such as thefts or assaults, while other mobile squads were ready to intervene if necessary. However, despite the security device, the assault described by Laura would appear to have occurred in an area partially covered by the crowd and not visible to the officers.

Regional Councillor Silvia Scurati . . . said . . .

“The very serious events that occurred on New Year’s Eve in Milano – they remember what already happened in 2022, this year a group of Belgian girls reported being groped by a group of foreign boys, but not only that, we saw videos of hundreds of foreign boys, immigrants, who were inciting hatred and violence towards our country . . .” 

Ina separate case, several north African youths are being probed for allegedly insulting the Italian flag and Italy during the celebrations at the Duomo, in some cases waving their own national flags. Meanwhile, with a special flight today arranged by the Ministry of the Interior for the repatriation of illegal immigrants, the two foreigners who had been stopped on New Year’s Eve in Piazza Duomo were also removed. Milano and subsequently held in the CPR in via Corelli.