Anonymous Exposes Identity of Alleged Halifax Rapist; Forces Police To Reopen The Case
Halifax police have reopened an investigation into an alleged frat-house rape of a 18 year old girl after the online hacktivist group, Anonymous released a video showing the name, phone number and photographs of the man it accuses of being her attacker.
Anonymous has also given an ultimatum to the police that they have until Monday to frame charges against the individual or they will force the Dalhousie University website to close down with a sustained attack.
The 18 year old girl was raped by a fellow student on Halloween night at a Dalhousie University frat house in Halifax Nova Scotia, Canada. The Halifax police said that the case was closed because the victim did not want to pursue it further.
The video posted by Anonymous went viral instantly and garnered attention from everywhere making people notice the blatant mismanagement of Halifax police in this case. However, YouTube deleted the video“because its content violated their Terms of Service” while it’s still available on Facebook. The second copy of the video is given below.
“We do not promote violence against anyone, including rapists and pedophiles,” says the video, which, in typical Anonymous style, features a masked figure and a digitized voice.
“We do promote awareness and education. This, we believe, is the right of every woman in Halifax: the right to know who the rapists are amongst them. And so,” the video says, naming a Halifax man, “we are going to expose you for the rapist you are.”
The video then shows several photographs of a man, some of him in a fraternity environment, along with a name and a telephone number.
Anonymous has vowed to get justice for the victim however the police are not happy with the Anonymous action. Lauren Leal, an official spokesperson of Halifax police said that the Anonymous should not accuse and reveal the identity of a alleged rapist without any proof. However she said that they would reopen the case and follow up on the leads provided by Anonymous.
“The victim at that time chose not to proceed with a police investigation,” said Lauren Leal, a spokeswoman for Halifax Regional Police. “In any sexual assault we respect the wishes of the victim. We don’t force them to go forward.
“We feel that it was irresponsible on the part of the people who created the video and posted it online. They relayed third-hand information, they identified a person and accused him of a very serious crime without any investigation or being tested in court,” she said.
But when asked if the video helped reopen the investigation, she said: “Certainly. Some of the comments associated with the video did suggest the victim did want to proceed with an investigation.”
She wouldn’t say if Anon’s suspect is also a police suspect.
