Topless breakthrough

Some time ago the girls of the women’s movement Femen wearing wreaths and carrying posters that read “Freedom to protest” broke into the TV program Big Politics with Yevgeniy Kiselev. In such a way they were protesting against the draft law #2450, which relates to the freedom of gatherings and protests. Soon after that the Verkhovna Rada hearings on the notorious draft law have been suspended. The Day met with Hanna HUTSOL, the leader of women’s movement Femen. Of course, we started our conversation from the notorious draft law #2450.

The draft law “On the order of organization and holding peaceful assemblies” has been postponed till the next plenary session at the least. What outraged you in this draft law?

Hanna: “Actually, many movements are against this draft law. Besides, we are a street movement. We don’t hold conferences, or attend roundtables.

“At the same time, the law is generally predictable. They will have four days for banning action in court, so they will acquire total control. They will have time to decide whether the authorities like you or not, whether you will have the possibility to hold an action or not. This is a violation of the Constitution’s Article 39, stipulating the right of every citizen to protest and hold rallies.

“I frequently expressed indignation during Viktor Yushchenko’s presidency, saying that one thing or another is wrong. But one learns through comparison.

“Before the elections I was frequently asked a question, ‘Won’t they cut down on democracy once Yanukovych wins?’ I replied, ‘Of course not. So much has been done in this direction, such a long way has been covered. He can’t undo this, he won’t dare. What will Europe say?’ Apparently, I was wrong. You can see what is going on. Everything has been reversed in a matter of three months only.”

Are we following the Russian path?

H: “Yes, and very distinctly. Most interestingly, Europe is keeping silent for some reason.”

Maybe, they have gotten tired of Ukraine over the past five years.

H: “No, it seems to me they are ready to overlook attacks upon democracy to keep the new government on the European path, so that it does not exclusively follow the pro-Russian path.”

You have a blog at the Echo of Moscow and frequently travel to Russia. When are you planning to go north-east again?

H: “This question has remained open since February. That was approximately the time Russian journalists and civic organizations started to invite us. We have some plans. But everything is very complicated there. There are people ready to develop the women’s movement. But everyone understands what the peculiarities of working in Russia are. It’s very hard, although it seems to me the stronger the pressure, the bigger the reward.”

You started from bathing in a fountain, followed by protests against “sex tourism,” and now you’ve become engaged in politics. Are you departing from the topic of feminism?

H: “I don’t agree with this. It’s wrong to say that women’s movements deal only with women’s problems, for example, paying alimony. In fact, women take interest in all kinds of things. Women’s freedom is essential to democracy.”

At this moment we are joined by a young man, who starts to listen to us attentively. In the course of the conversation it appears that this is Femen’s activist Viktor Sviatsky.

I can see, that your movement includes men as well.

H: “Many young and beautiful women will always attract men.” (laughing)

Who are your typical members?

H: “We have not made any studies on this. For the most part, these are students and maybe newcomers. These are people who have come to the capital to get an education, achieve some success, some career growth, to marry well...”

To conquer the capital with the help of “naked breasts”?

H: “Also. But this is only a form, a method. One may conquer with one’s creativity, understanding of problems, aspiration, and enthusiasm. Everything is based on enthusiasm, the desire to change something, get involved in changing all of this, not just be standing aside.”

What is your families’ attitude to your activity?

H: “Every girl is in a different situation. My family does not understand what I am doing. But they know, if I do something, it is the right thing to do. If I like it, then it should be this way. But they don’t understand why I need this.”

Why do you need this?

H: “Because I care. Banal as it may sound, it is really so. I cannot be self-sufficient without realizing myself, without changing anything. In fact I want to change a lot in the lives of Ukrainian women, even if it refers to one or two persons only. I think that the girls working with us will never get involved in sex tourism. They have undergone inner changes. Not only physiology (eating – relieving nature) should be present in people’s life, but also a possibility to realize themselves.

“There are people for whom bread and butter are enough to live happily, they don’t need democracy. I have had an argument with a plumber who came to repair a tap in my apartment. He is fully content with Yanukovych. He does not need democracy. I am a different kind of person.”

How do you assess the efficiency of your actions. The girls come, shout something, and leave. What does it change? What have you achieved?

H: “First, I am confident that we have raised issues that have never been discussed before. Everyone knew about them, but kept silent, including the topic of sex tourism that is being actively discussed now. Even draft laws concerning this topic have been created. But we have to succeed in pressuring the authorities.

“We are working in the sphere of ideas, we are shaping them, so that people pay attention to problems. For example, the lack of women in the Cabinet of Ministers. The majority of people have not noticed this problem.”

But women have not appeared in the Cabinet of Ministers.

Viktor: “They will appear, you will see.”

Why didn’t you hold any rallies at the Verkhovna Rada on “Black Tuesday,” April 27, when the Kharkiv accords were being ratified?

H: “Everyone was present there in their own way. And we have expressed our opinion in this concern. We are against Russia’s expansion, we want to live in a European Ukraine.”

Naked breasts are your main specialty. But we have an expression: a joke is funny only when it is told for the first time, but when it is retold for the second, third, fourth time… it is not funny anymore. You have organized numerous topless performances. Don’t you have a feeling that people have gotten tired of this?

H: “This is not a joke, this is life.”

V: “It will be enough to change the intonation, and the joke will be funny each time it is told. It is enough to tell it at the right moment. The same joke can be repeated to infinity. But we will also do other things.”

H: “The topless format is first of all a format of provocation and breakthrough, when attention needs to be drawn brightly, efficiently, and as quickly as possible. It is a topless breakthrough. We also have actions that we call ‘round dances.’ These are dramatized shows involving many people in costumes. We have all of this. I remember when we appeared in short skirts, people also said that we were naked. Judging from the reaction, nobody is bored of topless actions yet.”

My following question might be more intimate, who’s funding you?

“Our dramatized shows are not expensive. We make everything with our own hands, sew, find the fabric. Girls draw the posters on their own. This is the way it should be. I like to repeat that I don’t believe the employees of a bread-baking plant who are coming with a large printed poster to ask for bread.

“As for the money, we have a council of guardians that includes famous and popular people, who fund the movement. So, we are following the American principle. These people like what we are doing and they donate money to our cause. The owner of Kupidon is among them. Our headquarters are located here. He has given shelter to us.”

How does the police react to your activity?

H: “The reaction varies. It used to be good previously. They smiled, saying, ‘You are pretty girls, well done.’ If they detained us, everything was peaceful, they even gave us tea. Unfortunately, nothing of this kind is left. Today a maximum number of policemen are present at our rallies. We were supposed to hold a ‘blue buckets’ protest near the Russian Embassy, and a bus full of Berkut fighters was waiting for us there. Three girls were mentioned in our bid, and 20 fighters came. Later we learned that the officials from the embassy called the Solomenka Police Station and asked, ‘Guys, please, don’t let this happen near the walls of our building.’ They did not allow the girls to approach the embassy, shoved back the press, and ‘packed’ us in the car in a very brutal manner. We were charged with disorderly conduct. They have started playing rough.

“However, according to the law, the police should come to the protests to defend us. But now they do the opposite.”

Don’t you lose heart? Or does it boost your enthusiasm?

H: “I have told you, the stronger the pressure, the greater the reward. We have held a protest near the Cabinet of Ministers. Twenty girls were taking part in it, encircled by 50 policemen. We had much fun, even pushed each other. The girls said, ‘If they don’t let us in, we should force our way.’

“Of course, there are moments when we lose heart, but we should proceed. Otherwise, what was the sense in starting anything? Hard times are a way to test yourself and other people. We are becoming mature, we are developing. We work with lawyers who protect us. We do not kick pricks like we used to.”

On the other hand, the new authorities gives you a lot of reasons to protest. What do you think, which of the actions that you have held was the most successful? With which of your actions are you the most satisfied?

H: “I am the most satisfied with breaking into the station where Yanukovych voted. It was cold, and that was our first demonstrative topless action. We guessed right that we should come earlier, because if we had come at the same moment as Yanukovych, his guards would have broken our arms and legs. We burst in at a proper moment and captivated the entire audience. We made photos and videos. After this we got in touch with Russia for the first time, got a blog at the Echo of Moscow, and are now on a completely different level.”

If I’m not mistaken, your first action was connected with switching off hot water in Kyiv. You bathed in a fountain in protest.

H: “This took place two years ago. Last year we were washing our clothes there. Now it is banned to bathe there. You can be arrested. In the past we could bathe, giggle, and get by. Now we must look out for the girls’ safety. It has become difficult to arrange mass bathing, although we would like to. It has become already an annual tradition for us. It is a pity not to go bathing.”