Femen, the support of the Protest Movement for Ukrainian Resistance
The movement had very large resonance, on an international scale, for the practice of manifesting showing the breasts, metaphorically used against sex tourism, sexism and other social discrimination. Some of the objectives of the movement are "to increase the intellectual and moral skills of young women in Ukraine", "reconstruct the image of Ukraine, a country with rich opportunities for women" and modify the image of Ukraine abroad, often considered purely as a destination for sex tourism.
Already since April 2010 the movement was considering the idea of constituting itself in a political party to play an active role in the parliamentary elections.
Activists are recognized and appreciated all over the world for their provocative methods and have always managed to catalyze the attention of the media. Their motto is «Our God is a Woman! Our Mission is protest! Our Weapon are bare breasts! », Thus stating that their God is the woman, their mission is to protest and have no weapons if not their bodies, or rather their breasts.
The main feature, in fact, is to manifest topless, writing clear slogans on the skin: it is precisely the chest, often, that is used as a blackboard on which to give the texts of one's protests. During the first protests they actually dressed in Rosa, and there was talk of Pink Revolution, then in August 2009 it happens that Oksana is noticed and this act had a huge echo. From there all the events plan to undress in front of the cameras, and the traditional crowns of Ukrainian flowers are almost always worn. The Femen fight for the main feminist issues, from the lack of representation of women in the government to oppressive policies made by religions. Let's take a few examples: the group sides against the sex-work and the capitalization of its exploitation, manifested against the Bielorusso dictator Lukashenko, they showed peacefully against the Pope, against Berlusconi and in 2012 also against fashion, defined fascist and Anorexia, during a Versace parade.
This was its growth: the movement took on a new resonance, in relation to the latest sad developments of world politics. Could a protest movement founded in Kiev refraining from manifesting its opposition to the war on the days when Russia had threatened to invade the entire Ukrainian? For a long time, the Femen were not seen in action and on February 22, two days before the Russian invasion, an activist of the movement showed himself in front of Kiev's central railway station with a decidedly spectral and evocative look of death, classically Topless, with the writing on the chest: "Don't panic" and with a "angel of death" scythe, marking another chapter of their history. After the Russian invasion in Ukraine, the protest against the war continued on March 6 in France where Femen France organized a demonstration under the Eiffel Tower with the slogan "Stop Putin's War". The group has spread to Europe and is actively manifesting against the war in progress, giving solidarity to the resistants.
Inna Shevchenko, founder of the movement and journalist, asks for weapons and humanitarian aid for Ukraine in the latest interviews. In one of his latest public appearances he says: “Until recently I had never thought of wanting to return to Ukraine, but when I see what is happening there now, the desire to be there is extremely strong. This is the case for many Ukrainians all over the world right now, I am only one of them. "
Simona Danos
