She walked past security in Vatican City and right in front of St. Peter's Basilica on Sunday stripped off her top in protest for greater women's rights. The young Ukrainian activist displayed a sign calling for “freedom for women” right before taking off her top. Only moments earlier, Pope Benedict XVI had given his weekly blessings, but the young activist was pushing for greater rights. Italian police were able to subdue the young woman, who belongs to the Ukrainian women's rights group Femen, which campaigns against sexism and have attracted attention for their topless protests. The group was founded in Kiev in 2008 to combat sex tourism, prostitution and sexual harassment targeting female university students in Ukraine. The move was to highlight the ongoing controversy surrounding Italian Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi, who faces allegations of child prostitution, and who Femen have demanded to be removed from power over his “sexist” ways. He has reporteldy held orgies with other Italian politicians. The group previously demonstrated on Saturday against Berlusconi, stripping down in mass protest against the Prime Minister. While a number of groups have condemned what they call stunts, Italian women are beginning to get behind the campaigns to oust Berlusconi. Maria Turini, a 20-year-old university student in Rome, who joined the protests on Saturday, but did not take off her clothes, told Bikyamasr.com that “it is time to end this idea that womanizing and treating women as objects is okay for anyone, let alone our leader. I find it disgusting and if the Ukrainians are here to help, let us join them.” She also lashed out at the media coverage of the protests, saying “it shows how shauvinistic the media can be. The way they reported these demonstrations attempted to make it like the women were sex objects. It is horrible and this happens everywhere.” BM
