Cosby undergoes 'trial by Twitter': Opposing view

The most shocking thing about the Bill Cosby scandal is the disregard for the presumption of innocence.

The Cosby-hunters are undermining the core democratic principle that an individual is innocent until proved guilty through a fair legal procedure. Yes, the allegations against Cosby are disturbing. But the medieval rush to brand him a sexual predator without the benefit of a court case is also disturbing.

A British newspaper called the women making accusations "victims" rather than accusers. Tweeters feverishly share memes calling Cosby a rapist – a modern-day version of the mobs that cheered the burning of women who were presumed (but never proved) to be witches.

Many point to the fact that at least 16 women have now made accusations as a sign of Cosby's guilt. But history shows that a large number of accusers doesn't necessarily mean the accused is guilty.

From the Salem witch trials to finger-pointing in Stalin's Russia, collective accusing doesn't always add up to a convincing case. In Britain in the 1990s, two nursery workers were cleared of sexually abusing children. Addressing the fact that many accusations had been made against them, the judge in that case reminded us that sometimes a "feeding frenzy" against suspects can lead to a "cross-fertilization" of accusations.

It's possible the Cosby-obsessed media have created a febrile climate in which women are invited to remember their encounters with him in a particular way, and to join the "feeding frenzy." But the number of accusations is beside the point. Whether it's one or 100, Cosby must still be presumed innocent.

We forget at our peril how important this principle is. It protects all of us from unjust punishment, from being condemned on the basis of gossip or innuendo. The undermining of it by the Cosby condemners, who prefer trial by Twitter, is a scandal.

If you value your own innocence and liberty, and the legal principles that underpin them, then you must say: "Cosby is innocent."

Brendan O'Neill is a London-based writer and editor. (A lawyer for Bill Cosby did not respond to requests for an opposing view.)