A 17-year-old Danish girl was walking home one night when she was attacked. The man who attacked her sexually assaulted her, tearing at her clothes. Luckily she had a small bottle of pepper spray on her, which she used to fight him off and end the attack. Pepper spray is illegal in Denmark, so when the police arrived they wrote her a fine instead.
Attacked. A Danish teenager was walking home in her coastal town of Sonderborg. As she passed near a migrant asylum center, a man lunged out and attacked her.
Wrestled to the Ground. He seemed to just speak English. He wrestled her to the ground, trying to undress her.
Pepper Spray. She fought him off though, pulling out her bottle of pepper spray. The spray scared him off and he ran.
Report. She immediately called the authorities to report the attack. When the police arrived they told her that it would be her instead who would be seeing charges.
Fine. The police were unable to locate her attacker. Then they fined her 500 Krone for being in possession of the pepper spray.
Illegal. A spokesperson for the police, Knud Kirsten, told a local television station, “It is illegal to possess and use pepper spray, so she will likely to be charged for that.”
Controversy. The case sparked controversy in Denmark. The country had been seeing a rise in sexual crimes.
New Reports. There have been many new reports of women being sexually harassed. A few women in Sonderborg have reported that they felt harassed by the “aggressive nature” of many of the refugees at the local migrant asylum center.
Rising Numbers. Across Europe there seems to be a rise in sexual attacks by migrant gangs. Cologne, Germany has also seen this increase.
Buying it Across the Border. More and more Danish people are crossing the border to Germany to purchase pepper spray, even though the sprays are illegal. Many were outraged that the police decided to charge the girl for carrying the spray.
Human Right. Some people offered to pay the teen’s fine for her. Others argued that “Self-defense is a human right.”
Self-Defense. Pepper spray isn’t the only illegal mode of self-defense. According to the Danish Justice Ministry, “under Danish Legislation it is illegal to buy, possess, carry or use electrical shock weapons, such as tasers, unless you have obtained a license from the Danish Police. The Danish Police only issues such licenses as an exception, and if the particular case presents exceptional circumstances."
Policy Changes. The increased attacks and harassment in Denmark have been leading to some changes in policy at nightclubs. One club will only allow people who speak English, German, or Danish-speaking customers.
Rules. The owner of the Buddy Holly club told a local TV station, “We have some rules so that our guests can have a pleasant experience and feel safe." He was also quick to point out his policy change happened before the influx of immigrants to the country.
Controversial law. At the same time as the girl’s attack became news, Danish Parliament passed a controversial law. The law allows for immigrants to be searched for valuables at any time, and anything worth more than $8300 Krone can be confiscated to help pay for their stay in the country.
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