Ukrainian group Femen is known for its’ stunts Topless protesters demonstrating against female genital mutilation stormed the red carpet at the Berlin Film Festival opening last night. One of the demonstrators from Ukrainian women rights group 'Femen' scaled the barriers and threw herself in front of the cameras and hundreds of onlookers, nearly colliding with Hollywood actress Jane Fonda.
The activists, many of whom had political slogans scrawled across their naked breasts, were using the glamorous event to demonstrate against female circumcision on the international day calling for an end to the practice.
Oleksandra Shevchenko, one of a trio of demonstrators, told Interfax the group were trying to draw attention to the barbaric practice of genital mutilation: “One girl is circumcised every 19 minutes,” she said. However, the women were quickly removed by security and kept in a police vehicle for about an hour, according to Shevchenko.
Femen are known for staging attention-grabbing topless protests at big events including major football matches. FGM, which typically involves removing the clitoris, can lead to bleeding, infections and childbirth problems. The procedure, often known as female circumcision, is prevalent in the Middle East and Africa where it is considered a traditional rite of passage that ensure virginity for women of a marriageable age.