The New Year’s Eve fireworks display in Milan’s Piazza del Duomo was marred by a horrific series of sexual assaults, leaving many women traumatized and demanding justice. Imogen, a 19-year-old British tourist, bravely shared her harrowing experience, detailing how she and her friends were targeted by a group of men amidst the celebratory crowds. The assaults, which involved groping, attempts to remove clothing, and verbal threats of rape, occurred despite the presence of Imogen’s male friends and highlighted the vulnerability of women in large, unsupervised gatherings. Imogen’s testimony underscores the disturbing reality of organized sexual violence and the urgent need for improved safety measures at public events.
Arriving at the Piazza del Duomo, Imogen and her friends, a mix of British and Belgian nationals, noted the conspicuous absence of police officers in the densely packed square. As the evening progressed and the countdown to midnight drew near, several women in the group reported experiencing unwanted touching and harassment from men within the crowd. Feeling increasingly unsafe, they huddled close to their male companions for protection. However, as the fireworks began and the men were momentarily distracted by their phones, Imogen was violently separated from her group and surrounded by a pack of assailants.
The attack was swift and coordinated. Imogen’s arms were restrained, preventing her from defending herself, while multiple men groped her and attempted to pull up her dress. The attackers seemed to revel in her distress and fear, their actions escalating in aggression. Simultaneously, Imogen heard the screams of a friend who was also being assaulted nearby. She struggled to intervene, momentarily diverting the attackers’ attention, but they quickly refocused their aggression on her. Amidst the chaos, an unknown liquid was thrown on Imogen, causing her eyes and nose to sting, adding to the terror and humiliation of the ordeal.
The commotion caused by Imogen’s struggle and the screams of other victims finally drew attention from the surrounding crowd, creating enough disruption for her to break free. Reunited with her friends, they frantically searched for police officers, a search made difficult by the lack of visible law enforcement presence in the Piazza. The pursuit by their attackers continued even as they searched for help. When they finally located police officers, Imogen’s initial pleas were met with indifference. It was only after showing her bloodied injuries and explicitly stating the nature of the assaults that the officers’ attitudes changed.
The police response, while eventually leading to a formal statement being taken, was marred by a troubling assertion from a female officer who allegedly described the assaults as a “known problem” attributed to Bangladeshi men. This statement, while potentially reflecting a pattern of similar incidents, risks unfairly stereotyping an entire community and diverting attention from the systemic failures that allowed such widespread assaults to occur. Imogen vehemently refutes any connection between the attacks and religion or political activism, emphasizing the perpetrators’ sole motivation as opportunistic sexual violence. She stresses the randomness of such attacks and the importance of avoiding victim-blaming narratives.
Imogen’s account sheds light on a broader issue of women’s safety at large public gatherings. The lack of adequate police presence, the ease with which the attackers operated within the crowd, and the initial dismissive response from law enforcement all point to systemic vulnerabilities that need urgent attention. Imogen’s courageous decision to speak out aims to raise awareness, dispel harmful stereotypes, and push for greater accountability. Her story serves as a stark reminder of the ongoing fight for women’s safety and the need for collective action to prevent such horrific incidents from happening again. She is now pursuing legal action through the Italian embassy in England and investigators are reportedly interviewing other victims to gauge the full extent of the assaults that took place that night. This incident demands a thorough investigation and concrete measures to ensure the safety of women at future public events.
