A group of Ukrainian female activists went topless at Kiev's Olympic Stadium in a demonstration against what they argue are moves being made by the Ukraine government to legalize prostitution during the upcoming 2012 European Football Championships next summer. A handful of activists from the Femen group held banners and chanted against the European football governing body, UEFA, but sparked police intervention when they went topless, a staple of the Femen movement's activism. Last month, a member of the Ukrainian women's rights organization was arrested at the Vatican after she went topless to protest the Church and Italy's Silvio Berlusconi. A Femen spokeswoman, Inna Shevchenko, said UEFA was “trying to influence our government” to legalise prostitution during the tournament, which will take place in June and July next summer. Kiev police arrived at the gates of the downtown stadium five minutes later and the women were dragged into a police vehicle and driven away. Femen has established an international reputation for staging semi-naked protests in Ukraine and abroad. BM
