May 6, 2006
European countries alarmed at spread of Happy Slapping
The Houston Chronicle and The Washington Post report on how Happy Slapping is spreading in Europe - and how European schools and governments are considering banning cell phones.
... "An attack on the teacher last month at a vocational high school in the town of Porcheville, in the Yvelines region west of Paris, sparked concern that youths could now be using phones to film premeditated violence.
According to the AP, "French police say they know of about 20 cases of filmed violence. A police captain in Paris says some young people see the exhibitions "as a way for the poor to get revenge against the rich."
"In a sign that politicians are growing concerned, the education minister said Wednesday he wants cell phones banned from classrooms.
Other parts of Europe already have taken action. The German state of Bavaria and dozens of schools in Ireland have barred cell phones from classrooms.
Last month, Danish courts handed down the first "happy slapping" convictions to two teens. The pair, a boy and a girl, had recorded an assault on a passer-by in a Copenhagen shopping mall in February.
In one of the most chilling cases, a report in the French daily L'Express on Wednesday said that photos were taken of a young girl in Nice who was gang-raped this year, and that the images were circulated at her school."
According to the AP, French police say they know of about 20 cases of filmed violence. A police captain in Paris says some young people see the exhibitions "as a way for the poor to get revenge against the rich."
Happy Slapping has occured in Switzerland as well. Click here for link to article (in French) and actual videos
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