During the Pope’s Christmas Day message, a Femen protester got arrested by Vatican City authorities for trying to steal a Jesus figure from the nativity in a display. The topless protester, identified as Alisa Vinogradova, is from Ukraine.
Vinogradova nearly took off with the baby Jesus figure on Monday while she was running topless and yelling, “God is woman!” She also had the phrase written on her bare back.
Femen is a radical feminist activist group intended to protect women’s rights. The organization, founded in Ukraine but now based in France, became internationally known for organizing topless protests.
Femen’s goal is to accomplish “complete victories over patriarchy.” Its website says, “Our weapon are bare breasts!” They identify as “sextremists,” which is a way for women to use their bodies and sexuality to fight patriarchy.
The Catholic Church is Femen’s target for its traditional view of women in society. Back in 2014, one Femen member also tried to steal the baby Jesus from the Christmas nativity scene at the Vatican, but she too got interrupted before fulfilling her mission.
Another protest pulled by the group was a photo posted on Christmas night. The picture showed a topless protester wearing a cape with the phrase, “#MeToo assaulted by the church” written on her stomach. #MeToo is a recent movement against sexual harassment and assault that hit social media this year.
The radical feminists’ message is: “A child is not from a god but from a woman! For a woman is God!”
This article was inspired by CNN // Topless protester tries to grab baby Jesus figure at Vatican