CBS Reporter ‘Sexually Assaulted’ Amid Egyptian Celebration of Democracy

By on February 16, 2011 in News 34
Lara Logan

Lara Logan in Iraq.

There is always a dark element to herd behavior, be it “authoritarian” or “revolutionary.” Melissa Maerz reports in the LA Times:

Lara Logan is recovering in an American hospital this week after being sexually assaulted and beaten by a mob in Egypt’s Tahrir Square late on Friday.

The same day that Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak stepped down, Logan was surveying the mood of anti-Mubarak protesters for a “60 Minutes” story when she and her team “were surrounded by a dangerous element amidst the celebration,” CBS said in a statement Tuesday. The network said that a group of 200 people were then “whipped into a frenzy,” pulling Logan away from her crew and attacking her until a group of women and Egyptian soldiers intervened …

During her time in Egypt, Logan had been outspoken about the Mubarak regime’s efforts to intimidate foreign journalists. “We’re being prevented from telling this story,” Logan said during a recent CBS broadcast. “People are increasingly afraid to talk to us.” Earlier this month, she was detained, accused of being an Israeli spy, and told to leave Egypt. She returned to the U.S. after her release, but came back to Cairo not long before Mubarak fled his office.

Read more here.

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  • Guest

    “There is always a dark element to herd behavior, be it ‘authoritarian’ or ‘revolutionary.’”

    You and this report have provided no evidence to support the assertion that this attack was carried out by members of the “mob” (aka peaceful revolutionary protesters to a vindictive dictatorship) as opposed to a band of criminals who simply used the commotion and congregation in the public area intentionally to gain anonymity so that they could carry out an attack on an unsuspecting victim. Which is more likely: that every major city harbors at least a few violent, opportunist criminals that would take a fancy to sexually assaulting a pretty news reporter, or that every grouping of people no matter what the cause or nature of the grouping is insidious in some way? Do not include these attackers in the group of revolutionaries unless you have evidence that they are/were part of the anti-Mubarak movement in more ways than simply sharing physical locality. It’s this kind of thinking that leads morons to conclude that all form of protest is misguided and reform should only be carried out through a currently established system of order, no matter how subversive that system may be.

  • Guest

    “There is always a dark element to herd behavior, be it ‘authoritarian’ or ‘revolutionary.’”

    You and this report have provided no evidence to support the assertion that this attack was carried out by members of the “mob” (aka peaceful revolutionary protesters to a vindictive dictatorship) as opposed to a band of criminals who simply used the commotion and congregation in the public area intentionally to gain anonymity so that they could carry out an attack on an unsuspecting victim. Which is more likely: that every major city harbors at least a few violent, opportunist criminals that would take a fancy to sexually assaulting a pretty news reporter, or that every grouping of people no matter what the cause or nature of the grouping is insidious in some way? Do not include these attackers in the group of revolutionaries unless you have evidence that they are/were part of the anti-Mubarak movement in more ways than simply sharing physical locality. It’s this kind of thinking that leads morons to conclude that all form of protest is misguided and reform should only be carried out through a currently established system of order, no matter how subversive that system may be.

  • Guest

    Oh, shut the fuck up Guest. There’s always someone stirring shit on another’s every word.

    Mob is quick wording. Chances are everyone viewing Disinfo isn’t relative to Egypt so a quick assertion for a quick article is okay.

    ” Which is more likely: that every major city harbors at least a few violent, opportunist criminals that would take a fancy to sexually assaulting a pretty news reporter, or that every grouping of people no matter what the cause or nature of the grouping is insidious in some way? ”

    The latter is idiotic, why even say it? Clearly that wasn’t the message carried and clearly the assertion was based on those scatter violent individuals. I think you’re the one taking things a little too literal buddy.

  • Guest

    Oh, shut the fuck up Guest. There’s always someone stirring shit on another’s every word.

    Mob is quick wording. Chances are everyone viewing Disinfo isn’t relative to Egypt so a quick assertion for a quick article is okay.

    ” Which is more likely: that every major city harbors at least a few violent, opportunist criminals that would take a fancy to sexually assaulting a pretty news reporter, or that every grouping of people no matter what the cause or nature of the grouping is insidious in some way? ”

    The latter is idiotic, why even say it? Clearly that wasn’t the message carried and clearly the assertion was based on those scatter violent individuals. I think you’re the one taking things a little too literal buddy.

  • Guest

    Oh, and…

    http://www.irishtimes.com/newspaper/world/2011/0217/1224290022272.html
    http://news.blogs.cnn.com/2011/02/16/egypts-harassed-women-need-own-revolution/

    Lara Logan, 39, was covering celebrations for a “60 Minutes” story, the network said, when a frenzied mob of about 200 people surrounded her, her crew and their security team. Separated from the others in the chaos, Logan was surrounded, beaten and sexually assaulted, the statement said.

    FYI, mob can be used in different contexts than the actual MOBMOB.

  • Guest

    Oh, and…

    http://www.irishtimes.com/newspaper/world/2011/0217/1224290022272.html
    http://news.blogs.cnn.com/2011/02/16/egypts-harassed-women-need-own-revolution/

    Lara Logan, 39, was covering celebrations for a “60 Minutes” story, the network said, when a frenzied mob of about 200 people surrounded her, her crew and their security team. Separated from the others in the chaos, Logan was surrounded, beaten and sexually assaulted, the statement said.

    FYI, mob can be used in different contexts than the actual MOBMOB.

  • Andrew

    Her attackers could have been pro-Mubarak thugs, the kind who had been attacking reporters for the previous few days.

  • Andrew

    Her attackers could have been pro-Mubarak thugs, the kind who had been attacking reporters for the previous few days.

  • grooveboss

    Hey its (^demo^)cracy!!! Maybe they will vote yes on rape or sexual assault who knows!!!!!!!!!!!!! Evil also lurks in the wacky world of freedom!!!!!!!!!!!

  • grooveboss

    Hey its (^demo^)cracy!!! Maybe they will vote yes on rape or sexual assault who knows!!!!!!!!!!!!! Evil also lurks in the wacky world of freedom!!!!!!!!!!!

  • grooveboss

    Hey its (^demo^)cracy!!! Maybe they will vote yes on rape or sexual assault who knows!!!!!!!!!!!!! Evil also lurks in the wacky world of freedom!!!!!!!!!!!

  • WhiteRose

    They beat on Anderson Cooper and looted their own national treasures for Gods sake….not saying what happened to her was right but one would figure that it’s a dangerous place to be right now. Her security team failed as well as the networks planning and logistics of where to hold the story in a worst case scenario.

    • Andrew

      I’ve suspected the Mubarak regime and/or its supporters were behind the vandalism of the Egyptian Museum, as I suspect they were behind the assault on Logan. Both would be a good false flag operations, considering how peaceful and united the protesters seemed. According to Cooper, it was Mubarak’s people who attacked him.

      • Ironaddict06

        Cooper the Blooper didn’t get beat..it was more of a slap towards the back of his head.

        • Andrew

          And you know this because you saw the whole thing on TV, right?

  • WhiteRose

    They beat on Anderson Cooper and looted their own national treasures for Gods sake….not saying what happened to her was right but one would figure that it’s a dangerous place to be right now. Her security team failed as well as the networks planning and logistics of where to hold the story in a worst case scenario.

  • Nano_Thermite_911

    Sounds like Agitprop. Reminds me of Jessica Lynch….
    http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jessica_Lynch

  • Synapse

    This isn’t exactly a culture that values women and their rights, not to mention a country with over 80% of women being mutilated. This happens all the time in the middle east. This is the culture they’ve had for thousands of years under all regimes. If it had been a normal women, she likely would have been raped to dead (and not much would have been said about it). Fortunately for her, she was important enough to have outsiders save her.

    • Galser Marcos

      I agree. there aren’t very many cultures that are though. I am not a crazy person, I know it is better here than the middle east as far as women’s rights, but not so much with sexual assult. It is all part of partiarchy.

      At least on the comments here, there aren’t endless people blaming her. +1 for disinfo readers being intelligent, again.

  • Synapse

    This isn’t exactly a culture that values women and their rights, not to mention a country with over 80% of women being mutilated. This happens all the time in the middle east. This is the culture they’ve had for thousands of years under all regimes. If it had been a normal women, she likely would have been raped to dead (and not much would have been said about it). Fortunately for her, she was important enough to have outsiders save her.

  • 5by5

    The irony here is that just a few days earlier, her and her entire team were held hostage by the Mubarak regime and chained and beaten up during hours of questioning.

    This is why my real question about all this is — who started the sexual assault? There were certainly agent provocateurs in the crowd at Tahir Square. Maybe they came around for a second pass at her, and other psychopaths joined in.

    Either way, I find it interesting that a ground of Egyptian women along with Egyptians soldiers put a stop to it.

    Since some 200 people participated in this atrocity, the significance of this is that it was witnessed by many. Even by sharia law, that means that more than 4 men saw what happened, and anyone charged with engaging in this is going to get BARBECUED.

  • 5by5

    The irony here is that just a few days earlier, her and her entire team were held hostage by the Mubarak regime and chained and beaten up during hours of questioning.

    This is why my real question about all this is — who started the sexual assault? There were certainly agent provocateurs in the crowd at Tahir Square. Maybe they came around for a second pass at her, and other psychopaths joined in.

    Either way, I find it interesting that a ground of Egyptian women along with Egyptians soldiers put a stop to it.

    Since some 200 people participated in this atrocity, the significance of this is that it was witnessed by many. Even by sharia law, that means that more than 4 men saw what happened, and anyone charged with engaging in this is going to get BARBECUED.

  • Andrew

    I’ve suspected the Mubarak regime and/or its supporters were behind the vandalism of the Egyptian Museum, as I suspect they were behind the assault on Logan. Both would be a good false flag operations, considering how peaceful and united the protesters seemed. According to Cooper, it was Mubarak’s people who attacked him.

  • Ironaddict06

    Cooper the Blooper didn’t get beat..it was more of a slap towards the back of his head.

  • Ironaddict06

    Lara Logan-you just became the story.
    Where is the Cooper now? Why isn’t Cooper and the rest of the Media in Iran or at least reporting on the protest in Iran, and showing gov’t forces cracking down on protesters?

  • Ironaddict06

    Lara Logan-you just became the story.
    Where is the Cooper now? Why isn’t Cooper and the rest of the Media in Iran or at least reporting on the protest in Iran, and showing gov’t forces cracking down on protesters?

  • Andrew

    And you know this because you saw the whole thing on TV, right?

  • Yoo_hoo

    Entitled, wealthy, attractive intellectual female learns that feminism won’t protect her from reality.

    Film at 11.

  • Galser Marcos

    I agree. there aren’t very many cultures that are though. I am not a crazy person, I know it is better here than the middle east as far as women’s rights, but not so much with sexual assult. It is all part of partiarchy.

    At least on the comments here, there aren’t endless people blaming her. +1 for disinfo readers being intelligent, again.

  • Andrew

    CerebralCaustic?

  • WhiteRose

    The travel book says on a good day western women get groped…. on a bad day…

  • WhiteRose

    The travel book says on a good day western women get groped…. on a bad day…

  • Andrew

    CerebralCaustic?