‘Stop Raping Us’: A semi-nude woman barges in Cannes Film Festival; protests against violence against Ukrainian women

New Delhi: Cannes Film Festival witnessed an unexpected moment when a woman stripped off on the red carpet, holding a solo protest against the rape of Ukrainian women on Friday. The woman painted herself in the colours of the Ukrainian flag with the words “Stop Raping Us” written across her chest and abdomen.

Wearing underpants stained red, the protestor stripped off all her clothes, falling on her knees and screaming in front of the assembled photographers, reported the Hollywood Reporter. Security guards rushed over to her and covered her with a coat.

The incident interrupted the premiere of George Miller’s ‘Three Thousand Years of Longing,’ starring Idris Elba and Tilda Swinton. The directors and stars were at the parade of guests in the evening wear, attending the premiere.

On the Cannes red carpet for George Miller’s new movie, the woman in front of me stripped off all her clothes (covered in body paint) and fell to her knees screaming in front of photographers. Cannes authorities rushed over, covered her in a coat, & blocked my camera from filming pic.twitter.com/JFdWlwVMEw

— Kyle Buchanan (@kylebuchanan) May 20, 2022

Meanwhile, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky reported that last month the investigators had received stats that “hundreds of cases of rape” have taken place in areas previously captured by Russian troops. Besides, small children have fallen victim to sexual assaults.

Zelensky also launched a video appeal for aid for his company at the Cannes opening ceremony on Tuesday.

The war appeared to be a major theme at the Cannes film festival, with a special screening of ‘Mariupolis 2’ happening on May 19. This documentary was directed by Lithuanian director Mantas Kvedaravicius, who was killed in Ukraine last month by the Russian military.

Moreover, Saturday will be a special day for Ukraine’s beleaguered filmmakers in the industry. One of its prominent directors Sergei Loznitsa, will show “The Natural History of Destruction”, about the bombing of German cities in World War II.