Democracy Gone Astray

Democracy, being a human construct, needs to be thought of as directionality rather than an object. As such, to understand it requires not so much a description of existing structures and/or other related phenomena but a declaration of intentionality.
This blog aims at creating labeled lists of published infringements of such intentionality, of points in time where democracy strays from its intended directionality. In addition to outright infringements, this blog also collects important contemporary information and/or discussions that impact our socio-political landscape.

All the posts here were published in the electronic media – main-stream as well as fringe, and maintain links to the original texts.

[NOTE: Due to changes I haven't caught on time in the blogging software, all of the 'Original Article' links were nullified between September 11, 2012 and December 11, 2012. My apologies.]

Tuesday, March 05, 2013

Iranian Topless Protest Video: Activists In Sweden Against Hijabs And Iran Strip In Public (NSFW)

Borrowing a page from FEMEN's playbook, female Iranian activists staged a topless protest in Sweden Saturday.

According to Russia Today, members of the Iranian Communist Party and the Organization Against Violence on Women in Iran shed their tops in a demonstration against hijabs -- the traditional headscarf worn by many women in predominantly Muslim countries.

The activists, who organized the rally on Facebook, protested in Stockholm -- the country's capital -- days before International Women’s Day, which is celebrated annually on March 8.

During the protest, the partially nude women bore painted slogans, such as "My nudity is my protest" and "No to hijab," on their chests and backs and held posters from past FEMEN demonstrations. In video footage of the protest, a masked woman chanted "Hijab is not my choice" and "Down with Islamic Republic of Iran," using a microphone to project her message.

FEMEN, the Ukrainian women's group known for using nudity in its demonstrations, posted photos of the Iranian women's topless protest on its website in a show of solidarity. The Ukranian activists have spoken out against Islamist regimes in the past, telling Muslim women to "get naked" during a September demonstation in Paris.

Most recently, FEMEN activists stripped down in late February and attempted to lunge at former Italian prime minister Silvio Berlusconi as he arrived at a polling station in Italy. The three topless women who broke past the crowd of journalists were swiftly detained by police.

Original Article
Source: huffingtonpost.com
Author: Sara Gates

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