College online ‘rape list’ has uncorroborated claims against male students
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}Dozens of allegations of sexual assault and harassment against men have been publicly made on a website allegedly run by University of Washington students on campus and beyond.
The site “Make Them Scared” is described as “a communal rape list…to fill a gap left by inadequate treatment of these cases by formal institutions,” but says to “take all names listed with a grain of salt” because they “do not have the ability to determine whether any accused party is guilty of the accused acts.”
One UW student found out his name was on the list after being contacted by The College Fix. He said the allegation is false, while the University of Washington dismissed it as completely uncorroborated and cleared him of any wrongdoing.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}“The contents of the website are very concerning,” UW spokesman, Victor Balta, told Fox News. “UW is committed to our work toward preventing sexual violence and sexual harassment…investigating and addressing allegations, and upholding due process. Our hope is that individuals file a report directly to the university.”
UW is not investigating the website nor is it affiliated with the school.
The site’s moderator told Fox News they no longer accept anonymous allegations, but the website still features names from before the change.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}CONNIE CHUNG CLAIMS SHE WAS SEXUALLY ASSAULTED DURING COLLEGE
“We want to start a movement,” the page reads. “We encourage other campuses to adopt our model.”
The site was registered in November 2017, but was not active until late September, when more than 40 men have had their names and allegations posted, ranging from digital harassment to rap.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}The site’s Twitter features hashtags “Cancel Kavanaugh” and “Believe Survivors” from the Women’s March account.
When asked if the site is opposed to Kavanaugh, the site’s moderator told Fox News: “We support the idea of believing survivors.”
The name “Make Them Scared” is “admittedly ominous-sounding” and “alludes to the injustice of women having to live their life in fear of sexual assault and harassment, while perpetrators can easily live their lives free of any fear of being caught or held accountable for their actions.”
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}BUSY PHILIPPS, ELLEN DEGENERES RECALL THEIR EXPERIENCES WITH SEXUAL ASSAULT
According to the site, names can only be removed if the accuser approves, never responds, or “if the accusation is proven to be untrue or for legal reasons.”
The site’s moderators said they do fear legal action, but feel they have a good defense.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}“In order for someone to prosecute us, they’d have to prove beyond a doubt that the claims we’ve posted are false,” they said. “This would be incredibly difficult to prove, and if anyone did have substantial evidence to prove the accusation against them was false, and sent it to us, we would immediately remove the name.”
They added: “We have something called ‘qualified privilege,’ because the information we publish is meant to promote public safety/inform the public of a potential danger.”