"Stop Raping Us": Woman Strips On Red Carpet To Protests Against Sexual Violence In Ukraine

A 18-year-old topless female protester stormed the red carpet of the Cannes Film Festival last Friday to protest against the raping of Ukrainian women by Russian soldiers. The woman tore off her clothes, her bare chest was painted with Ukraine’s national colours and the words “stop raping us” painted all over her torso. Red paint, mimicking blood, was also splattered around her lower body. The security guards covered her with a jacket and escorted her off soon after she screamed, “don’t rape us”.

There have been numerous reports of rape cases since Russia invaded Ukraine. It is reportedly so much widespread that local and international groups are rushing to get post-rape kits; such as emergency contraception, and abortion pills to Ukrainians. Last month, Ukraine said it received more than 400 reports of sexual violence by Russian soldiers within just a span of two weeks. Even children were also being targeted as Russia used rape as a weapon of war.

The woman protester at Cannes is a member of SCUM, a French feminist group. SCUM said on Twitter, “she was there to denounce the sexual violence inflicted on Ukrainian women in the context of the war.”