The Rotherham cover-up

You all know what I mean by the word ‘Rotherham.’ In The Spirit of Terrorism, Jean Baudrillard observes that there is no true synonym for ‘9/11’ – no one refers to the ‘World Trade Center and Pentagon attacks’ or the ‘Bin Laden attacks’, but just to the date itself, typically in its abbreviated form. Perhaps, he suggests, this is because the events of that day were so shocking, and so significant, that they must be described abstractly. We cannot find the right words. 

There is no true synonym for ‘Rotherham’, either. ‘Child sexual exploitation’ (CSE) is the sterile term favoured by most institutions. ‘Child sexual abuse ring’ or ‘grooming gangs’ is more common in the media. None of these terms are satisfactory.

When I use the word ‘Rotherham’, I am talking about the rape and sexual torture of thousands of underage girls in Britain over many decades by Muslim men from the Middle East, East Africa, and South Asia (predominantly Pakistan). The