Cologne exposes an almighty culture clash

THE assaults in Germany on young women who are reared to believe that they are free and equal members of society seem to strike at the hearts of all that western culture holds dear. Had the attacks occurred in one city it would have been bad enough, but they spread through three German cities, not to forget Finland, which also experienced sexual assaults involving migrants. It seemed that the clock had been wound back on our civilisation.

But the outbreaks of misogyny do not just shame the wretched dogma that teaches a man that a woman is a contemptible possession who deserves to be treated accordingly. It also shames the police and media outlets who tried to cover up the involvement of asylum seekers in the viciousness. As with our own cover-up of clerical sex abuse, it is in some respects the greatest scandal of all.

Under the banner of promoting harmony between the German population and the new arrivals, regardless of whether were hardened criminals or, as is doubtless the case with the majority, decent, law-abiding folk, the authorities blithely betrayed another of democracy’s principles – a free and open press.

In the same way as those who voice an opinion challenging the liberal assumption that all immigration is good are silenced for fear of being labelled xenophobic or, worst of all, racist, the casualties of dedicated politically correct orthodoxy are, once again, the values of free expression and tolerance.

Talk about the serpent of political correctness eating its own tail!

It is now revealed that there are 18 migrants seeking asylum among the 31 suspects for the disturbing scenes of harassment and intimidation against women in Cologne. It took several days before we heard that the series of mass sexual assaults and muggings had resulted in 170 complaints to police, most of which concern sexual assault, including two cases of rape.

Or that according to witnesses and police, the perpetrators were of north African and Arabic appearance. And that they preyed in coordinated gangs, surrounding groups of women before groping and insulting them while robbing them of their belongings.

How long did 18-year-old Michelle have to wait for the opportunity to tell how she and her terrified friends held hands while more than 20 men formed a ring around them? If the

Iauthorities had their way, she would have been silenced, like the burqaclad women of Islam. F THE disgraceful pro-immigrant mayor of Cologne, Henriette Reker, had her way, Michelle and her friends would now be taking lessons on how to conduct themselves in front of ‘strangers’ and learning how to keep men at arm’s length.

Is the answer to a culture where violence against women is legitimised to adopt the cowering and defensive mechanisms of its second-class citizens and, at an official level, to obfuscate, deny and control the stream of information like in a totalitarian state? Or is it to refuse to bring into the West anyone who disagrees with our human rights, our hardwon ideals about equality for all regardless of gender, sexual orientation or race?

Our first group of refugees is due to arrive here in a matter of days. Public policy has been overwhelmingly focused on the matter of accommodation for the 4,000 men, women and children and passing new legislation aimed at streamlining the asylum process. But they are trivial issues compared to the ugliness that can potentially occur when a society that believes in women’s rights admits men from countries that don’t.

There is a delicate balancing act involved in helping people who may be devoutly Muslim to feel at home in a strange country while at the same time doing nothing to dismantle our own way of life.

Or do we sweep that under the carpet like Angela Merkel has done, and assume it will be all right on the night?