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Rediff.com  » News » Sextremists: There's no stopping these topless girls
This article was first published 11 years ago

Sextremists: There's no stopping these topless girls

Last updated on: June 27, 2013 09:39 IST


Photographs: Gleb Garanich/Reuters

In the short five years since it came into being, feminist outfit Femen has become a force to reckon with thanks to its jaw-dropping mode of protest.

The activists of the Ukrainian group has taken a stand against a number of issues by taking to the streets and taking off their tops.

Not suprisingly, their eye-popping stunts ensure that irrespective of what they are protesting -- from patriarchy to sexual abuse of women to Russian President Vladimir Putin's autocratic ways -- their demonstrations make headlines across the world.

On why they choose to bare their breasts instead of brandishing banners, Femen activists claim that this is, indeed, the only way Ukrainian authorities would pay any heed to their demands.

Let us take a look at some of the brazen protests held by these brave women... 

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There's no stopping these topless girls


Photographs: Shannon Stapleton/Reuters

Sarah Constantin, an activist from Femen, holds up a sign during a topless protest at Times Square in New York on June 20, 2013. Three European activists with Femen, who were sentenced on June 12 to four months in prison for baring their breasts in Tunis, will appeal their sentence, according to local media.

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There's no stopping these topless girls


Photographs: Jacky Naegelen/Reuters

Ukrainian activist Inna Shevchenko and members from the women's rights group Femen struggle with police officers during a protest in Paris on April 4, 2013. The protest was organised in support of a Tunisian activist who received threats after she posted topless pictures on the internet, organisers said. 

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There's no stopping these topless girls


Photographs: Alessandro Garofalo/Reuters

Activists from Femen take part in a protest in front of the Consulate General of the Tunisian Republic in Milan on April 4, 2013.

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There's no stopping these topless girls


Photographs: Sergii Polezhaka/Reuters

Police detain an activist from women's rights group Femen as she takes part in a protest in front of a mosque in Kiev on April 4, 2013.

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Tags: Femen , Kiev

There's no stopping these topless girls


Photographs: Gleb Garanich/Reuters

Interior ministry officers and a security guard chase an activist from Femen as she stages a demonstration outside the Russian embassy in response to Russian President Vladimir Putin's announcement of his separation from his wife Lyudmila, in Kiev, on June 7, 2013.

The woman intended to portray Olympic rhythmic gymnast Alina Kabayeva, referring to speculations that Putin could date the former sportswoman, according to FEMEN's press release. The words on the woman's back read, "Push Russia forward!"

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There's no stopping these topless girls


Photographs: Thomas Peter/Reuters

Berlin policemen detain an activist from the women's rights organisation Femen before the screening of the movie Yi Dai Zong Shi, (The Grandmaster) at the 63rd Berlinale International Film Festival in Berlin on February 7, 2013.

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There's no stopping these topless girls


Photographs: Francois Lenoir/Reuters

A riot police officer arrests an activist in front of the European Union Council building during a protest against the visit of Russian President Vladimir Putin in Brussels on December 21, 2012. 

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There's no stopping these topless girls


Photographs: Paul Hackett/Reuters

A Femen movement protestor is detained by police officers during a naked protest in London on August 2, 2012. 

Two topless women, painted with the slogans 'Olympic shame' and 'No Sharia', protested in front of London's City Hall on Thursday to draw attention to what they called "bloody Islamist regimes" taking part in the Olympics.

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Tags: London , Sharia

There's no stopping these topless girls


Photographs: Denis Sinyakov/Reuters

Security guards detain an activist from Femen for staging a performance to support Russian opposition groups and protest against violations during the parliamentary elections in front of the Cathedral of Christ the Saviour, Moscow on December 9, 2011.     

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Tags: Saviour , Femen , Moscow

There's no stopping these topless girls


Photographs: Gleb Garanich/Reuters

An activist from Femen, dressed in a costume, is helped down by fire brigade men during a protest outside government buildings in Kiev on December 16, 2011. The protest was organised to draw attention to the lack of women in the Ukrainian government, on the occasion of Prime Minister Mykola Azarov's birthday. 

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There's no stopping these topless girls


Photographs: Gonzalo Fuentes/Reuters

Activists from Femen scrub the paving stones as they stage a protest in front of the entrance to the building where former IMF head Dominique Strauss-Kahn lives in Paris on October 31, 2011. 

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There's no stopping these topless girls


Photographs: Gleb Garanich/Reuters

Activists from Femen stage a protest in a fountain at the Independence Square in central Kiev on July 14, 2011. Women protested against annual cuts to municipal hot water supplies for several weeks each year to enable workers to repair pipes and equipment.

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Tags: Femen , Kiev

There's no stopping these topless girls


Photographs: Gleb Garanich/Reuters

An activist from Femen is restrained by police during a demonstration against the government's plan to raise retirement age for women, outside the Ukrainian parliament in Kiev on July 5, 2011.

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Tags: Ukrainian , Femen , Kiev

There's no stopping these topless girls


Photographs: Gleb Garanich/Reuters

Activists from Femen stage a performance protesting against sexual harassment on female students by professors at institutions for higher education in front of the ministry for science and education in central Kiev on November 16, 2009. The performance portrays female students being sexually harassed by their professors during a school examination.

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Tags: Femen , Kiev

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