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SEXUAL ASSAULTS

Swedish comedian organizes ‘man-free’ rock festival in response to rape reports

A Swedish comedian is organizing a "man-free" rock festival in response to the reported rapes and sexual assaults at music festivals in the country in recent years.

Published: 4 July 2017 15:19 CEST
Swedish comedian organizes 'man-free' rock festival in response to rape reports
Emma Knyckare (left) came up with the idea in response to reported sexual assaults at Swedish festivals like Bråvalla. Photo: Björn Larsson Rosvall & Izabelle Nordfjell/TT

Emma Knyckare's idea started with a simple tweet she posted after it emerged that there had been a number of sexual offences reported at the 2017 Bråvalla festival in Norrköping.

“What do you think about putting together a really cool festival where only non-men are welcome, that we'll run until ALL men have learned how to behave themselves?” she wrote.

READ ALSO: Why Sweden is not the 'rape capital of the world'

Though some weren't thrilled with the idea, others started to respond with words of support. Medical workers, PR people, project managers and musicians got in touch to offer their services, and soon, enough people had registered interest for the comedian to start thinking seriously about making the festival happen.

A day after her initial tweet, Knyckare confirmed that plans were in place for an event in 2018:

“Sweden's first man-free rock festival will see the light next summer. In the coming days I'll bring together a solid group of talented organizers and project leaders to form the festival organizers, then you'll hear from everyone again when it's time to move forward.”

 

A post shared by Här Är Jag! (@knyckare) on Jul 3, 2017 at 3:04am PDT

Last weekend, Bråvalla's organizers announced that the festival will not take place next year following the reported rapes and sex offences during the June edition. The same festival was previously hit by reported sexual assaults and rapes in 2016.

READ ALSO: Swedish music festival cancels next year's event amid rape reports

The We Are STHLM youth festival meanwhile was the subject of sexual assault allegations in 2014 and 2015, leading to criticism of police for failing to release information about the matter.

READ ALSO: Swedish politician 'sexually molested' at Almedalen festival

NORTH AFRICA

Ex-police chief asks Cologne attack victims for forgiveness

The Cologne police chief who had to stand down in the wake of sexual assaults over New Year's Eve has spoken of his regret at the events.

Published: 13 June 2016 17:44 CEST
Ex-police chief asks Cologne attack victims for forgiveness
Wolfgang Albers. Photo: DPA

Speaking on Monday to the committee investigating the events of New Year’s Eve in downtown Cologne, Wolfgang Albers said that the fact that his force had not been able to adequately protect women who fell victim to sexual assaults moved him to this day, Die Welt reports.

Cologne Mayor Henriette Reker sacked Albers in early January after accusing the police force of concealing “politically sensitive” information from her and from the public in the wake of mass sexual assaults on hundreds of women.

The Rhine city's police have more recently conceded that they had almost half the number of officers on duty during the assaults as they had originally claimed.

A police report published the day after the attacks claimed 140 officers were present at the scene, when in fact at most only 80 were present.

“I beg the victims for forgiveness,” Albers told the committee, pointing out that sexual assaults are particularly humiliating and injurious crimes.

But at the same time, the ex-police chief tried to absolve himself of direct blame, saying that he had been on holiday between Christmas and New Year.

“As such I was not involved in the concrete planning for this operation,” he said.

In February the state of North Rhine-Westphalia launched an enquiry into the how such large numbers of sexual assaults and other crimes were allowed to happen.

Hundreds of women have since come forward to say they were sexually assaulted by groups of men near the city’s central station.

The attackers were normally described as being on North African appearance and the suspects in police investigations since have largely been identified as Moroccan, Algerian and Tunisian.