The story
From website: FEMEN is an international women’s movement of brave topless
female activists painted with the slogans and crowned with flowers… Femen is
the special force of feminism, its spearhead militant unit, modern incarnation of
oferaless and free Amazons.
FEMEN was found in 2008 in Kiev. Anna Hutsol is credited as founding the
FEMEN movement, on 10 April 2008, after she became aware of sad stories
of Ukrainian woman duped into going abroad and then taken advantage of
sexually. However, the 2013 documentary by Kitty Green, Ukraine is not a
Brothel, names Viktor Sviatsky to the founder of the movement. In September
2013 Inna Shevchenko responded to the documentary stating that Sviatsky "did
lead the movement some time ago...We accepted this because we did not know
how to resist and fight it....This is when I decided to leave Ukraine for France to
build a new Femen". Interestingly, the founding and leadin role of this man was
never discussed in Ukrainin media when FEMEN was still based in Kiev, and it
was investigatd and discussed by foreign media (I have to check this more, this is
only what I remember myself).
Initially Femen gained attention by demonstrating in skimpy or erotic clothing,
for example in September 2008 in front of the Turkish embassy a dozen FEMEN
members were dressed as sexy nurses with smudged makeup and high pink
heels, however at the 24 August 2009 demonstration on Ukrainian independence
day Oksana Shachko went topless. Since this approach obtained such great
publicity it rapidly became FEMEN's trademark approach.
In April 2010 the group members announced that they were hoping to capitalize
on their fame and good intentions by going into politics and running for seats in
the next parliamentary election, scheduled for 2012. Viktor Svyatskiy, the
strategist of Femen, said the group’s evolution is inevitable. “The girls can’t run
around Independence Square for all their lives,” Svyatskiy said. “We need to
move to the political area and influence the decision-making and legislative
process.” Opinion about Femen running for parliament elections: “If they want to
draw public aware of female problems, topless protests could be a method, but
not the only one,” said Urszula Nowakowska, director of the Women’s Rights
Center in Warsaw, Poland. “If there is a negative attitude towards feminism in
the country, I think such provocative methods may have negative impact on
feminism as well.”
Other Ukrainian feminist organizations, as well as political analysts, remain
skeptical about Femen’s prospects in politics. “To become a deputy, one should
have something more than just primary sexual characters,” said Anna Sharygina,
vice president of Sphere, a Kharkiv female association."It would be rather
interesting to see if Ukrainian voters give Femen’s boobs more votes than some
other political parties", she says.
However, FEMEN have never registered a political party and th plan to run for
parliament elections was abandoned.
Since May 2011 a host of international news outlets have started to report about
the organization's actions; this has sharply heightened FEMENs international
profile.
From late 2011 the Ukrainian FEMEN activists started to do more international
protests.
After Inna Shevchenko chopped down a wooden cross overlooking Maidan
Nezalezhnosti in Kiev on 17 August 2012, she claimed to have received several
death threats and that her front door had been kicked in. Fearing arrest, she
sought asylum in France and moved to Paris. There in September 2012 she
established a training facility for activists for Femen in France.
Late July 2013 one of the ideologists of the FEMEN, Viktor Sviatsky and Hutsol
were beaten up on the eve of a visit of Putin to Kiev to celebrate the 1025th
anniversary of Christianization of Kievan Rus'. According to Hutsol those who
attacked them “resemble those cooperating with secret services of Russia and
Ukraine”.
Training
Around 1000 women from France, Ukraine, Geramny, Mexico, Sweden, Turkey,
Denmark, Brazil, Switzerland, Great Britain, Canada, USA, Tunisia, Poland and
Egypt have already particiated in the FEMEN trainings in Paris.
Image and public opinion in Ukraine
Most public – negative. “Whores, prostitutes!”. Poeple were also very suspicious
because there was no other movement with such a clear political position and
ideology which was so present in media. News about FEMEN were the
“bestsellers” for TV chanells, but people were constantly asking themselves: who
are this women, why do they do it, who finances it! Conspiracy againts FEMEN:
this moves must be used by some political party, this must preparations for
election or some other manipulation. Male audience – particularly negative
about the protest methods: this is inappropriate and immoral.
Pictures=slides
Feb 25 2014 – protest against the former Ukrainian prime-minister
Timoshenko
April 8, 2013. Hanover, Germany.
Jan 19 2014 – Mexico office of FEMEN came to asction
November 2013 – the Netherlands: an action during the arrival of Sinter Klas and
his helper Black Piet to stress the fact that slavory still exists - action against
prostitution.
Oct 2013 Madrid: International women's movement FEMEN is occupying the Europe with
Sextremism and extremely quickly sharing the ideology and tactics of FEMEN opening new
branches as it happened today in Spain.
Sept 2013 "Militancy is not piracy" and "Free Greenpeace"
Sept 2013 FEMEN ON THE RED CARPET AT THE VENICE FILM FESTIVAL
Presenting the documentary film “Ukraine is not a brothel” directed by Katty
Green.
THE FIRST INTERNATIONAL GATHERING OF SEXTREMISTS FOR TRAINING DAY 2
The purpose of the international gathering of FEMEN sextremists is to get the best form for a
new political season 2013/2014. At first sextremist boot camp in Paris soldiers of FEMENizm
are gathered from different parts of the world: France, Belgium, Germany, Mexico, Denmark,
Turkey, Spain, Ukraine, the Netherlands.
Jun 2013 Arab countries, in particular Tunisia and Egypt are the new target of
FEMEN. They proclaim that FEMEN topless actions in Muslim contries will triger
“Women’s arab spring”.
Just before the trial for FEMEN in Tunis French sextremists staged a topless prayer to Allah
for the early release of Tunisian prisoners. FEMEN activists prayed infron of the Tunisian
Embassy in Paris, blocking the traffic on the street Rue Barbet de Jouy.
The prayer was led by famous Egyptian dissident, the blogger Alias Elmahdy whose naked
protest, with the posted picture in the personal blog became one of the signs of the "Arab
spring".
May 2013 Tunisia
Today, FEMEN activists held their first topless protest in an Islamic state. Today in Tunisia
three FEMEN sextremists committed a topless sabotage on the central square in front of the
Tunisian central courthouse.
May 2013 action on the Mother’s Day: FEMEN used Mother's day to remind to the world
about the double exploatation of women. Finished her underpaid work woman gets into the
domastic slavery, embraced by mops, pots, napkins and other atributes of exhausting mind-
numbing mode of life. And this beastly dualism promoted by patriarchy as the meaning of a
woman's life and its highest calling.
FEMEN training in Germany, preparing for attacks.
March 2013
FEMEN sextremists attacked International Porn Forum (Eropolis)of Le Bourget in Paris.
They
interrupted a show staging live porn dolls while screaming "GO RAPE YOURSELF!". Mainstream sex industry is allowing
millions of user to download each day billions of disgusting images staging women in the most humiliating way
Oct 2012 FEMEN protests against IKEA and its owner, Ingvar Feodor Kamprad, because
IKEA removed with Photoshop all images of women and girls from its promotional catalogue
for Saudi Arabia, as dictated by Sharia law.
Apr 2012 Fashoin shoot for French men’s magazine
We offer the results of FEMEN activists work with one of the most notable in the
world studio photographer Jean Baptiste Mondino. Photos were taken in February in Paris for
the first issue of men's magazine "Obsession".
one of the first actions by Femen – Kiev, 2010:
Activists from the Ukrainian women's movement FEMEN kiss and wear
underwear made from protective masks during a protest on Independence
Square in Kyiv on Nov. 9. FEMEN activists protested that the swine flu or
A/H1N1 epidemic, is being used by politicians to create fear among the
population ahead of the Jan. 17 presidential election.