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The Independent: Mass Sexual Assault in Frankfurt By Refugees ‘Completely Made Up’

The damage has been done: the meme that the zombies at Breitbart, and other right-wing media wanted to propagate about “rapefugees” got regurgitated and disseminated far and wide. Breitbart which was one of the disseminators of the lie, followed up the truthful story and found a way to add some wholly unrelated anti-Muslim shade at the end. (h/t:Abdel)

This is not the first time German media have been fooled by the so-called “fake news” phenomena. Last year in Berlin, a group of pro-migrant activists called “Moabit Helps” claimed a migrant had frozen to death waiting for benefits. The story was widely reported across German media, but when no dead migrant was found and the sole witness went into hiding, the story was proved to be a hoax.

In Austria, a young Muslim girl claimed she had been attacked at a train station by people who had torn off her hijab and tried to throw her onto the train tracks. After police looked at the footage they saw the girl walk onto a train with no violence occurring at all and launched an investigation claiming she lied to police.

By Harriet Agerholm, The Independent

Prosecutors are investigating two people for allegedly fabricating an account of a mass sex attack by Arab migrants in Frankfurt.

Claims that a “sex rioting mob” of around 50 men assaulted a group of women over the new year were reported by German tabloid Bild earlier this month.

The report, which suggested the attackers lived at a refugee shelter in central Hasse, was widely re-circulated by right-wing news sites.

In an article since taken down from its website, Bild interviewed a chef who runs a restaurant in Fressgass, a busy shopping district, as well as a 27-year-old woman.

The chef alleged that dozens of Arab men came into his restaurant in, stole his customers’ jackets and sexually assaulted multiple women.

The 27-year-old female told the paper: “They grabbed me under my skirt, between the legs and on my breast – everywhere.”

Yet, police said on Tuesday they believed the allegations were “completely baseless”. One of the purported victims of the alleged attack was not in Frankfurt at the time of the purported crime, they said.

“Interviews with alleged witnesses, guests and employees led to major doubts with the version of events that had been presented,” police told German daily Frankfurter Rundschau.

“One of the alleged victims was not even in Frankfurt at the time the allegations are said to have taken place.”

They concluded: “Masses of refugees were not responsible for any sexual assaults in the Fressgass over New Year. The accusations are completely baseless.”

No sexual assaults were reported to police from the the area over New Year before the Bild report, they said.

Investigators were looking into whether the pair had made up the story.

Bild‘s editor-in-chief Julian Reichelt issued an apology on behalf of the tabloid, writing in a tweet: “We apologise for our own work. I’ll shortly announce what Bild will do about it.”

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    • Funny you wrote a comment about the sense of entitlement of Europe’s new guests. I’m a mod here and YOU are a guest. Who are you to suggest that *I* should shut the f*ck up?

      I say whatever I want here.

    • Please tell me where Muslims have successfully implemented Sharia law in Europe. I would love to know.

      Why are you calling us liberals?

    • Greg Randall

      Except for one tiny detail, the attacks did take place, are taking place and will. I lived Europe for 4 years and have seen very brazen attitudes and sense of entitlement from Europe’s latest guests. First thing they do is find their own people, secure themselves within their new neighborhoods and then institute Sharia Law. I don’t recommend going to these neighborhoods at night especially if you’ve been drinking. Face it liberals, you guys cannot keep up with those of us who the truth with lying about them and pretending they’re all great people. And I’m not saying there’s nobody good among them, of course there are, This Garibaldi guy, does he always think news that is true might just be a lie?

    • Greg Randall

      Why don’t you shut the fuck up+

    • Fair point, though I think if people stick around, they get the idea.

    • Loonwatch featured an interview with Reza Aslan and he’s expressed support for the site in the past:

      Exclusive Loonwatch Interview with Reza Aslan https://www.loonwatch.com/2011/11/exclusive-loonwatch-interview-with-reza-aslan/

      Obviously “loon” is loosely defined. I think for me, a loon is someone who is dishonest and agenda-driven in their criticism of Islam. If their goal is to spread outrage, fear, and hatred, even if they have to tell half truths or outright lies to achieve their goal, then they’re a loon.

      When it comes to “criticism” of Islam, my question is, “Is what is being said true?” If it’s true and in proper context, then it should be fair to say it.

      There are some widely held traditional positions in Islam that don’t comport with the values of the modern West, so there are valid reasons some people would criticize aspects of the doctrine. There are Muslims who do things deserving of criticism as well, of course, though those things may be in spite of Islamic doctrine rather than because of it, and I think it’s fair to ask that people make that distinction.

      My problem with Robert Spencer, as just one example, is not that he “criticizes” Islam. It’s that he lies. Sometimes he tells half truths and sometimes he outright lies. But it’s his dishonesty that makes him a loon, not his skepticism or even his dislike of Islam.

    • Again, what does one have to do with the other? What is your logic?

      If one is true then the other is true and if one is false then the other is false? That’s a ridiculous assertion. Can you imagine a court of law where the prosecution tried to say a defendant was guilty on such logic? That would be laughable. Or are you suggesting that, if we report on one incident, we must report on all other incident that are in any way similar, which is literally impossible?

      What about the Wikipedia page? How does the existence of “taharrush jamai” make the Brietbart story true? That’s like saying a particular rape story in America must be true because rape exists here.

      Either the story regarding Frankfurt is true or it’s false. If it’s false, then someone is spreading lies and there is no reason we should not call them out on it.

    • Not sure what one has to do with the other.

    • Loon logic fail.

      If x and y happened, that means z also happened….even if it didn’t.

      Head back over the Jihad Watch where this sort of “logic” flies.

    • John Hussey

      and I’ll bet 9/11, Charlie Hebdo and the French Stadium attacks never took place

    • Viredae

      Will Breitbart be writing any retractions or corrections about this massive slanderous article any time soon?

      Yeah, didn’t think so, I won’t be holding my breath.

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