Milan prosecutors are investigating at least five cases of alleged sexual assaults during New Year’s Eve celebrations in Piazza Duomo.
The reported incidents, described as collective harassment, mirror the phenomenon known as taharrush gamea, a term for group assaults previously documented in Cairo’s Tahrir Square in 2011 and Cologne in 2015.
A 20-year-old Belgian woman, one of six young women from Liège, recounted her ordeal to Italian police on Friday, stating:
“I was terrified. I was dragged from one side to the other by a river of men, 30 or 40 in all. I couldn’t get out.”
The Belgian woman and her friends had joined two British nationals, a young woman and her boyfriend, earlier that evening. Both the British and Belgian groups have since filed official complaints.
An Italian woman has also come forward, reporting similar “collective harassment” during the celebrations. Additionally, prosecutors are investigating incidents involving another Italian woman who was with her partner, as well as an unidentified South American woman.
New Year’s Eve Assaults
Witness accounts describe groups of men of North African origin carrying out the assaults. Some reportedly waved their national flags and insulted Italy during the celebrations.
Separate allegations suggest young men of North African descent insulted the Italian flag and waved their own flags in Piazza Duomo.
Prosecutors are working to identify all victims and perpetrators involved in the assaults. Additional victims are expected to provide testimony in the coming weeks.
