Belgian Student (21) Testifies of Sexual Assaults on New Year's Eve in Milan

milan - A 21-year-old student from Belgium shares her story of sexual assaults and harassment on New Year's Eve in Milan while celebrating with friends.

Laura, a 21-year-old real estate student from Liege, was out that night with her friends and shares her shocking story in the Belgian media. The assault and harassment allegedly took place on the crowded Piazza del Duomo square in Milan on New Year's Eve. What was supposed to be a festive evening turned into a nightmare.

Youths were setting off fireworks in the crowd, creating a dangerous situation that felt almost like a terrorist attack. They started feeling many 'wandering' hands on their bodies, making them extremely uncomfortable. As a result, they moved to the galleries around the square. The Italian police have expressed their willingness to speak with Laura, who is now back in Belgium. It is unclear if she has filed a report.

As the friends were heading towards the police to report what had happened, they claim to have been surrounded by a crowd of 50 to 100 people. Laura said, 'That's when they started harassing us. Three of us, including myself, were sexually assaulted. A friend had her breasts groped, someone put their hand in my underwear. It was really extreme. The boys in our group tried to defend us but were outnumbered. We felt powerless. No matter how loud we screamed, we couldn't take any action. Luckily, I was eventually rescued by an Italian man whose wife was also being attacked.'

The public prosecutor's office in Milan has launched an investigation this week and instructed the police to question the Belgian young woman as soon as possible. Witnesses, especially the friends accompanying the girl, are being interviewed. The Italian couple who were also harassed by young men in the area are also being questioned. Security camera footage from the vicinity is being reviewed as potential evidence, though no suspects have been identified yet.

A few years ago, on the same square during New Year's Eve, similar incidents occurred. Nine women, including two German tourists, were assaulted at that time.

The alleged assaults on New Year's Eve are reminiscent of similar incidents in 2015 in the German city of Cologne near the train station. A group of young men also targeted revelers, not only groping and assaulting the victims but also robbing and abusing them in many cases.