Release date
Far-right figures and other social media users have been sharing clips falsely claiming to show a new brand of “anti-rape” underwear developed in Europe.
X’s posts, such as one by British far-right activist Tommy Robinson, seek to stir up xenophobic sentiment by suggesting that Europe is bringing in underwear to protect women from immigration, rather than closing its borders or stopping immigration from the “Third World.”
The video, which has Spanish subtitles, says the underwear will not tear or cut and has special latches that open only in certain positions, protecting the user from rape.
It also said that the underwear was developed in the United States and that a German company has launched a similar product.
The “AR Wear” logo can also be seen in the corner of the video. A Google search for the company leads to a page on the American crowdfunding site Indiegogo.
AR wear will be displayed. campaign has started It finally produced underwear in 2013, raising just under $55,000 (€48,000) in donations, but is now closed.
AR Wear said its goal is to provide “wearable protection in the event of an emergency” in a wide range of styles and in a form that is difficult to remove by force or stealth.
The company last posted an update in 2016, outlining issues in its manufacturing process.
AR Ware said in March 2016, “Many of the obstacles to our progress are related to the difficulty of maintaining the high quality needed to move to realistic mass production methods at affordable end-product price points while preserving the protective properties of our prototypes. We appreciate your continued support as we will update you as we report actual progress.”
Internet users have also repeatedly posted unanswered comments in recent years suggesting the product was never released to the public.
“Hey, any updates from 3 years ago?” one comment from 2019 reads. “Hey, did you guys run off with our money?” asks another question in 2018.
You can also find the complete original version of the clip posted on X on the crowdfunding page.
The Spanish subtitles for the small clip appear to come from: Spanish video service Vixyou will see the older version logo in the upper right corner of the video.
For German companies mentioned in clips, a separate “Safe Shorts” logo will appear in the bottom right corner of the clip where the company is mentioned.
Another Google search brings up various articles that say things like: 2017 and 2018 As for Safe Shorts, it turns out to be a brand of anti-rape shorts created by Sandra Seilz, a German woman who was the victim of an attempted rape.
The product photo matches that of the German company shown in the clip, but The Cube has been unable to trace the company’s website or contact details, suggesting it is no longer available.
A Google search also shows that this is not the first time this video has been circulated as part of a misleading narrative in Europe. it points us in the direction of Previous fact check Produced by Spanish broadcaster RTVE in 2024.
Reports of sexual violence increase across the EU
Data shows that reports of sexual violence are on the rise in the EU. In April, Eurostat showed that: Number of sexual violence crimesCrimes including rape increased by 79.2% in 2023 compared to 2013.
Rape crimes as part of sexually violent crimes more than doubled over this period, representing an increase of 141%.
Eurostat noted that the increase in the number of sexually violent crimes recorded by police is closely linked to increased public awareness, which could lead to higher reporting rates.
a Another Eurostat dataset A paper published in 2024 found that around one in three women in the EU has experienced physical or sexual violence since adulthood.
The same report found that 13% of women reported experiencing rape or other humiliating or humiliating sexual acts.
