40-odd women bare breasts for world-wide "topless jihad day"! get mass international press!!

[HiPointDem]

Bare-breasted activists staged rallies in front of mosques and Tunisian embassies across Europe Thursday against what they called an Islamist crackdown on Arab women's rights.

http://www.globalpost.com/dispatch/news/afp/130404/topless-protests-against-islamism-staged-across-europe


"Across Europe"! Wow, that sounds huge! Here's the tally:

Milan: three women
http://www.gazzettadelsud.it/news/english/41263/Femen-protest-in-Milan-for-topless-Tunisian-activist.html

Brussels: five women
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2013/04/04/international-topless-jihad-day_n_3014943.html

Berlin: "A small demonstration" which looks like 6 women in the pictures.
http://www.globalpost.com/dispatch/news/afp/130404/topless-protests-against-islamism-staged-across-europe

Kiev: No more than can fit in one car.
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2013/04/04/international-topless-jihad-day_n_3014943.html

Stockholm: some unknown number of people, both male and female, who apparently didn't bare breasts except for one woman, which is probably why they didn't get much attention.
http://dam.alarabiya.net/images/83d81d3c-5c38-4161-96fc-e5eb78ae870f/578/434/1?x=0&y=0

and the big, gigantic protest:

Paris: "Around two dozen topless feminists"

And this in the city of their "world headquarters," not so coincidentally located in the 18th arrondissement neighborhood of Goutte d'Or, predominantly muslim.

Can you say 'provocateurs'?

In Paris, btw, you can go bare-breasted in public, but you can't pray in public, even though muslims have prayed in the streets in this neighborhood since the 19th century.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-europe-14945467

Why are the femen protests getting so much press? (google it & see the wide coverage, with huge photospreads, from The Atlantic to MSNBC.)

http://www.google.com/search?hl=en&gl=us&tbm=nws&q=protest+africa#hl=en&gl=us&tbm=nws&sclient=psy-ab&q=protests&oq=protests&gs_l=serp.3..0l2j0i5l8.355938.357065.4.357270.8.7.0.1.1.0.308.1705.0j2j4j1.7.0...0.0...1c.1.8.serp.pUbCql_0I0A&psj=1&bav=on.2,or.r_qf.&fp=95d3a39185fd6a14&biw=1024&bih=582


Why is it Google's lead and top story when you google "protests," with the largest number of stories, when, for example, on the same day more or less:

Demonstrations erupt across the West Bank over the death of 64-year-old Maysara Abu Hamdiya , who died from cancer while in an Israeli prison.

http://www.washingtonpost.com/world/death-of-prisoner-triggers-protests-in-west-bank/2013/04/04/5b322552-9d2e-11e2-a941-a19bce7af755_gallery.html

Group protests drones at BAE Systems Plant: April "Days of Action" one of a hundred protests going on during the month as an effort to create public awareness of the destructiveness of drones.

http://www.wane.com/dpp/news/local/group-protests-drones-at-bae-systems-plant

angry (egyptian) students continued to protest yesterday afternoon and into the night over the administration’s failure to ensure basic sanitation standards at the campus cafeteria (after 500 students got food poisoning)

http://www.timesofisrael.com/egypt-students-win-a-round/

Salafi jihadists begin hunger strikes amid ongoing Hamas arrest campaign

http://www.longwarjournal.org/threat-matrix/archives/2013/04/salafi_jihadists_begin_hunger.php

Protests rage in Egypt's Port Said for fourth day

http://www.reuters.com/article/2013/03/06/us-egypt-protest-idUSBRE9250UM20130306

More face charges in Egypt’s escalating free speech and dissent crackdown

http://www.amnesty.org/en/news/more-facing-charges-egypts-escalating-crackdown-free-speech-and-dissent-2013-04-03

Middle East Activists Muzzled and Arrested in Arab Gulf States

http://www.thedailybeast.com/articles/2013/04/04/middle-east-activists-muzzled-and-arrested-in-arab-gulf-states.html

Muslim protesters face “unfair trial” under Ethiopia’s anti-terror law, says HRW

http://www.sudantribune.com/spip.php?article46079

Soldiers and police stand by as thousands take to the streets of Banda Aceh (Indonesia) on Thursday in support of a new provincial flag based on the banner of the now-defunct GAM separatist insurgency.

http://www.thejakartapost.com/news/2013/04/05/protests-against-gam-flag-aceh.html

between 400 and 500 fast-food employees in New York City to take part in Thursday's one-day strike

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2013/04/04/fast-food-strikes-new-york-city_n_3009780.html

Mass demonstrations welcomed President Obama to the Bay Area today and sent him a clear message on the Keystone XL Pipeline: Just say NO!

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/tina-gerhardt/bay-area-protests-welcome_b_3010557.html

On Thursday, dozens of people in Gaza forcefully entered the office of the UN Relief and Works Agency (UNRWA) in the blockaded Palestinian territory, calling for the reinstatement of a monthly allowance to poor Palestinian families.

http://www.presstv.ir/detail/2013/04/05/296608/un-stops-food-distribution-in-gaza/

On Thursday hundreds of protesters waving flags with the words "Jobs, not gay marriage" gathered near the (French) Senate (in Paris)

http://news.yahoo.com/french-senate-starts-gay-marriage-debate-amid-protests-173345801.html

Protests Continue at School Board Members' Homes Morning shifts now join evening pickets; police escort called

(There are more protesters at this local school board contract dispute than at the paris femen demo, and on a daily basis)

http://strongsville.patch.com/articles/protest-continue-at-board-members-homes

More than 100 Bahamas Electrical Company workers staged a second day of protests refusing to return to their jobs until a terminated worker was reinstated.

http://www.tribune242.com/news/2013/apr/04/police-called-to-second-day-of-bec-protests/

The arrest of Zubair Baloch, said to be a brother of banned People’s Amn Committee chief Uzair Jan Baloch sparked protests in Lyari, where enraged people forced shopkeepers to pull down the shutters, blocked vehicular traffic on main roads and lit bonfires.

http://dawn.com/2013/04/04/arshad-pappu-case-arrests-spark-protests-in-lyari/

100 days on: (iraq) sunni protests won’t stop – but will they become violent?

http://www.niqash.org/articles/?id=3197

Budget hearing protests teacher cuts

http://www.rep-am.com/articles/2013/04/04/news/local/715085.txt

The state of Tennessee has denied several permit applications for demonstrations and protests against a white supremacist organization that plans to hold a major conference at a park in Dickson County

http://www.fightbacknews.org/2013/4/4/tennessee-denies-protest-permits-activists-will-confront-white-supremacist-conference

the women’s rights group UltraViolet has announced they will lead a protest outside of Reebok’s flagship store in Manhattan tomorrow (April 4).

http://allhiphop.com/2013/04/03/protests-scheduled-outside-reebok-store-in-nyc-petition-demands-reebok-fire-ross/

Noor Bagh residents protest acute water scarcity

http://www.greaterkashmir.com/news/2013/Apr/5/noor-bagh-protests-water-scarcity-18.asp

Kolkata observed complete bandh on Thursday, April 4 to protest against the death of 23-year-old Sudipto Gupta, a Student Federation of India (SFI) activist.

http://news.oneindia.in/2013/04/04/kolkata-observes-shutdown-open-protest-against-mamata-1186144.html

Ugandan religious figures, backed by US evangelical groups, held gay hate march next to the home of mother of slain gay rights activist

http://www.gaystarnews.com/article/uganda-clerics-hold-gay-hate-easter-march010413

U.S. Dept. of Ed. Protesters Turn Fierce Rhetoric on 'Corporate' Reform

http://blogs.edweek.org/edweek/campaign-k-12/2013/04/education_department_protesters_turn_fierce_rhetoric_on_corporate_reform.html

Union flag protests: more than 200 arrested in Northern Ireland

http://www.guardian.co.uk/uk/2013/apr/03/union-flag-protests-arrested-northern-ireland

The women went to support a protest in San Salvador Atenco, were arrested and then sexually tortured. The protest related to the federal government’s plans to build an airport on top of the “Ejidos” (communal land) in Atenco. The fact that one town was able to defeat a large-scale development had significant implications for the neoliberal government of Vicente Fox.

http://uprisingradio.org/home/2013/04/03/truthout-under-the-international-spotlight-mexican-government-asks-for-friendly-solution-after-perpetrating-sexual-torture/

THE Delhi State committee of the students’ Federation of India organised a militant protest at Banga Bhawan on April 4, 2013 against the cold blooded murder of Comrade Sudipta Gupta

http://pd.cpim.org/2013/0407_pd/04072013_5.html

Arrest of atheist bloggers inspires protests in Bangladesh

http://www.examiner.com/article/arrest-of-atheist-bloggers-inspires-protests-bangladesh

Angolan police on Saturday stopped a protest by a youth movement demanding answers over the disappearance of two of its members

http://www.iol.co.za/news/africa/angolan-cops-break-up-youth-protest-1.1493827

There's a lot going on in the world. US corporate media decided the most important thing for you to know was that 40 women bared their breasts.

[chervilant]

1. Ahhh...

The irony is bittersweet.

[chervilant]

18. Punsters are among

my favorite folks! (Besides, I've been avoiding the same pun, so as not to fuel the raging fire of controversy over whether the Femen protests are about bare breasts or about some sexist or misogynistic issues...)



Welcome to DU!!

[redqueen]

2. Hey, but remember all the support DUers showed for One Billion Rising?

The protest that had lots of participation, and a clear message too?

Yeah, neither do I.

Speaks volumes. These people aren't fooling anyone but themselves and their fan club.

[HiPointDem]

3. i don't actually, i don't remember a thing about it.

[redqueen]

10. Yeah, there were some threads here and there.

http://www.democraticunderground.com/10022118009

http://www.democraticunderground.com/101794557

http://www.democraticunderground.com/125514716

http://www.democraticunderground.com/10022371365

http://www.democraticunderground.com/101798822

http://www.democraticunderground.com/12525621

http://www.democraticunderground.com/10022385206

[Zorra]

4. Yep. ""Never doubt that a small group of thoughtful, committed citizens can change

the world; indeed, it's the only thing that ever has."
~ Margaret Mead

[The Straight Story]

5. So, what you are saying is, a small group of women got heard by their tactics

Is this somehow a bad thing?

And I am looking at your links to other stories. Have you posted them here, on reddit, elsewhere to bring attention to them?

[chervilant]

20. hmm...

Are you really, truly this relentlessly obtuse and confrontational?!

What is Femen's issue? Do you know what this brouhaha is about? I know you've been asked on other threads to provide that information, but I've yet to see you do so. Are these women Islamic? Are they in a country where their mode of protest will result in their death? Do you know about the counter-protests? Why do YOU think the MSM is giving this small group of protesters so much press, and virtually ignoring other activists' efforts?

Or, are you--and the MSM--focused on their right to bare their bodies, and your right to see their breasts?

Your defensive, derisive posts are becoming absurd and tiresome. If, as you seem to indicate elsewhere, you are interested in learning more about rape culture, the patriarchy, and about the efforts of feminists worldwide to end patriarchal oppression, I've listed a plethora of books that will give you a good start.

AGAIN, I encourage you to read

Against Our Will (Brownmiller)

Beyond Power (French)

Ending the Silence (Thorne-Finch)

The Mermaid and the Minotaur (Dinnerstein)

For Your Own Good (Miller -- actually, anything by Miller)

Blaming the Victim (Ryan)

[The Straight Story]

21. Well, let me explain it like this

Here on DU it is not about femen themselves. It is about how a small group of feminists who are on a crusade to vilify every DU'er they can.

Look back at the threads over this and other issues. A lot of others seem to agree with me on this. They, myself as well, are tired of being told what we think on issues. Sort of like those counter protesters are as well....

Yeah, I get what femen is about, but why should I get wrapped up in answering questions to prove that?

And I am quite aware of the counter protests as well, check out #femen if you want to see more of those. You might find some really good discussion and links there on twitter.

Like:

http://www.newstatesman.com/bim-adewunmi/2013/04/inconsistency-femens-imperialist-one-size-fits-all-attitude

and:
An open letter to FEMEN
http://voiceofarevolutionary.com/2013/04/05/an-open-letter-to-femen/


So yeah - I get it. But as noted, this - here on DU - is not about femen, but about how those who say they are feminists treat people on here who are on their side and are steadily attacking such people for not being pure enough. Read through some of the popular threads here and pay attention to what people are saying.

Their anger, and mine, is not at feminism, not at the ideals espoused, but at how allies are treated.

[JI7]

22. i don't know but in another thread some posted pics of women topless in New York

they were not protesting but just doing everyday things. like why post that if we are discussing a protest where women went topless since the NY women were not protesting anything.

[JI7]

23. Teabaggers and NRA get heard also with their tactics , screaming about birth certificates

even if it's a small group vs millions around the world who came out against the iraq war and corporate corruption.

the "well they got attention" doesn't mean anything in itself.

[polly7]

6. And the problem is?

They got noticed and people who care heard the message. They're inspiring .... next time it will be ten times as many, and on and on until every woman in the world is free to bare her breasts or do whatever the hell she pleases with her own body.

[The Straight Story]

7. And it is not just the MSM - #femen on twitter is quite active

There the controversy is raging as well

Nalina Eggert ?@NalinaBelfast
So, wearing hijab or getting your breasts out - which is most feminist? Most modern? Least demeaning? Are Femen unwelcome? #muslimahpride

Lamees ?@llahham
i dnt blame #femen, they have probably never experienced the true beauty of #hijab & are too arrogant and ignorant to do so

Khadija ?@PeaceOfTheNight
#Femen are asking women to go topless & write ‘My Body Against Islamism’ on their bare breasts - Hijab IS our liberation! #MuslimahPride

Khadija ?@PeaceOfTheNight
Nudity DOES NOT liberate me and I DO NOT need saving. #MuslimahPride #Femen (Check this: https://www.facebook.com/#!/MuslimWomenAgainstFemen …)

--------------------------------------------------------

Now, from what I have been told - women are oppressed by both Christianity and Islam. Both are patriarchal in nature and seek to repress women. Those women often need to be told of their oppression from those things and others (like...doors, dongles, words, etc and so on) as men do as well (we don't often know we are hurting women but we have some good folks here to teach us that we are).

If a woman here says she is not offended by a joke or someone holding open a door folks want to talk to her and explain the hows and whys of such errors. In the above we see women speaking out for a patriarchal rule and are led to believe that they made such a choice so it is valid.

It all gets rather confusing to see women who work in porn, as strippers, etc being told they are doing so because they are victims, and then when we see women saying they want to be covered up because of a religious system centered around men having power we celebrate their decision because those women are complaining about other women who showed their breasts.

Hell...I don't even know what to think anymore. Everything has some meaning behind it that we need a decoder ring to figure out - or someone else here to tell us what it all means.

Complimenting a woman is bad (see threads where Obama did so - he generally, like me, does not go around calling guys good looking), helping them is bad, talking about women being oppressed is bad if one does not do it right, posting an article about sexism is bad if it contains anything to do with breasts, ford, etc. It is like walking through a damned mine field.

Now if I had posted that I thought the ladies of femen were wrong/bad/etc I probably would have gotten my ass chewed for not supporting a feminist movement. Say that I am ok with it - I just care about boobs.

In the end, some people just hate men and are looking for a reason to be pissed off all of the time over something.

[polly7]

11. All that really matters about it, for me, is that these women are endangering themselves for what

they believe in, from the African women standing up to multinational oil companies to the FEMEN protesters - what is said here or on twitter or anywhere else criticizing them is meaningless, imo. People will freak out and twist anything into something nasty in almost any situation they can't control, it is what it is. I think it's great that you do care so much about it all and completely understand why it seems confusing. For me though, it isn't. Not at all.

[HiPointDem]

14. "next time it will be ten times as many" = lol. no, it will be the same bunch as last time, & the

time before that.

look at the pictures of the various femen protests.

always the same faces. turning up all over europe.

they must have frequent flyer miles.

who pays for it, since they apparently don't work?

[sufrommich]

8. It's not about feminism in the Arab world or anywhere

else,it's about generating clicks on web pages. In HuffPos case,it's the usual news tidbits for people who aren't too bright. In DUs case it's about picking at scabs and creating flame fests. There's tons of information out there on feminism worldwide,you won't see it on HuffPo or here.

[redqueen]

15. Yep. One Billion Rising had a clear message and ACTUAL international participation and support.

But no 'tits', so the feminists who are falling all over themselves to praise a few dozen women with a vague set of goals didn't even notice.

[Paul E Ester]

9. Good point and interesting links

I posted yesterday about the protests. I think those who challenge the repression in arab countries deserve our support and I understood yesterday to be in solidarity with a blogger from tunisia, who has disappeared.

The head of the Commission for the Promotion of Virtue and the Prevention of Vice in Tunisia, Almi Adel, a Salafi Islamic preacher, has called for Amina to be "stoned to death" for posting the images. He warned that Amina's action could cause "epidemics and disasters" and "could be contagious and give ideas to other women." Media reports say Tunisian secular law would punish her with up to two years in prison.

http://bonjourplanetearth.blogspot.com/2013/03/topless-tunisian-femen-protester-amina.html

Your point about what the media chooses to report is well made. People do like salacious content, I'm not sure that in itself is wrong.

The other area this calls to is performance art. A three cord japanese band managed to piss off all of Korea, they got a mention from the north. On youtube they had like 300 views. http://www.democraticunderground.com/10022613648

Boobies over self immolation. You'll live to fight another day.

Random picture to top off my word salad.

Peace.

[Luminous Animal]

12. Kick.

[JustAnotherGen]

13. kick and rec

[jorno67]

16. News is no longer the "News"

Today "News" is actually "Media", and the fuel to all Media is marketing.
Bare Breasts are very marketable.
Real "News", unfortunately, is not that marketable.

[Squinch]

24. Kick