Pickpocketing isn't exactly anything new.


Taking joy in the misfortune of innocent people is quite an unedifying characteristic.

Mass pickpocketing is common?

also, you purposefully disregarded the first sentence there "As well as the attacks in Cologne, women were targeted in Hamburg and Stuttgart." There's also reports from Helsinki. There was a concerted attempt to threaten and scare.

edit: report from Helsinki http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldne ... eport.html

Having teams of pickpockets 'working' large crowds is sadly not uncommon. And bumping into someone is a classic pickpocket tactic, either the one lifting the goods or someone else as a distractor. I don 't know in this case if that was what happened, but the description suggested that possibility.


Only because I already mentioned the BBC were reporting it in a post at 11.28 yesterday. No point repeating myself.


Wasn't aware of those reports. If it is organised groups who've come across as part of the refugee crisis, it's sadly unsurprising.

Don't stop with him unless he gave a direct order or something.

That's some grim reading - have these scumbags got a sick wee Facebook group or something? Going for some sort of Guinness record? Jesus wept...

Cologne's mayor is coming in for an awful lot of stick as well. She (!) suggested women in Cologne might want to follow a 'code of conduct' to avoid getting into trouble i.e. a massive public example of victim blaming. I can't imagine the local female population will be that sympathetic to her next election time.

In fact I have to be honest, even as a generally left wing/liberal person, the hysterical cognitive dissonance happening in the political left all over Europe due to these events is both hilarious and horrifying. You can probably characterise is thus

"Must condemn rapists because if I don't then I'll be misogynist. Must not condemn migrants because then I'll be racist. Argh!"

This is a classic example, and the comment thread is an absolute war zone - allegedly the paper has been silently removing comments even from some muslim commenters, which is an interesting tack from a supposedly liberal free speech supporting newspaper.

You're always going to have problems if you've made a habit of making everything black and white, and suddenly they're the same colour.

Oh lord, it gets worse. A right wing march in Cologne has been met by water cannon and riot squads after clashes with counter-protesters.

The skinhead idiots may well deserve it but now they've got an extra level of propaganda - 'Where were this lot when women were being raped on NYE?' Talk about playing into their narrative.

In reality of course the difference is in this case the police knew what might happen ahead of time so they could have these resources in place but it doesn't look good at all, frankly.

The German authorities are making a right hash of it by the sound of it.

The difference being, on NYE there weren't any planned protests and this was a planned protest march, so there are always riot police on hand, especially when the quai-illegal right wing are involved.

The problem is PEGIDA have made a bad name for themselves with their xenophobic views and violence in the past.

Next NYE should be interesting then.

i dont think we will have to wait until next NYE. it will start before that (smile) ...

Cologne gangs attack groups of foreigners as New Year's Eve assault complaints grow | World news | The Guardian
http://www.theguardian.com/world/2016/j ... in-cologne

Imagine that...

Also in Malmo
http://gu.com/p/4fyem?CMP=Share_iOSApp_Other
I think it also shows a will from the media to bury the stories


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German police arrest 211 after far-right riot in Leipzig | World news | The Guardian
http://www.theguardian.com/world/2016/j ... in-leipzig

Can't help wondering where all those police officers were on NYE, cos that's some amount of arrests for any police force!

And grim as they are, that placard's funny

Why are the placards in English?