Cannes 2022: Topless Woman Storms Red Carpet Protesting Against Sexual Violence In Ukraine

Cannes Film Festival has reached its mid-week after beginning in southern France on May 17, 2022. The Cannes red carpet on Friday (May 20) saw a female protesting against sexual violence against women in Ukraine. The protestor was removed from the red carpet area before she reached the main event.

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Videos of the incident quickly went viral on social media. In the clip, the woman could be seen in a semi-nude state with paint on the lower part of her body reaching the red carpet before guards escorted her off. The incident took place at the premiere of George Miller's Three Thousand Years of Longing. The red carpet at the time features Idris Elba and Tilda Swinton, who star as the leading actors alongside the director.

The Hollywood Reported quoted an eyewitness saying that "the woman stripped off all of her clothes and fell to her knees screaming in front of the assembled photographers." Security guards rushed over to her, covered her with a coat and escorted her away. She reportedly had paint over her body in the colours of the Ukrainian flag and the words "Stop raping us" across her chest and abdomen.

Back in March 2022, the organisers announced that the 75th edition of the Cannes Film Festival would not welcome media and delegates from Russia. In a statement, they said the festival will not, "welcome official Russian delegations, nor accept the presence of anyone linked to the Russian government," but added that it would not ban Russian film directors.

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Earlier this week, Volodymyr Zelensky, the President of Ukraine, addressed the Cannes 2022 opening ceremony. Appearing via satellite in his signature military green shirt, he quoted Charlie Chaplin's The Great Dictator and said, "The hate of men will pass, and dictators die, and the power they took from the people will return to the people. And so long as men die, liberty will never perish."

Zelensky ended the emotional speech calling on the filmmakers to 'confront dictators'. He said, "Again, then as now, there is a dictator. Again, then as now, there is a war for freedom. Again, then as now, cinema must not be silent."

For women in distress, help is available at:

Central Social Welfare Board - Police Helpline: 1091/ 1291, (011) 23317004; Shakti Shalini- women's shelter: (011) 24373736/ 24373737; All India Women's Conference: 10921/ (011) 23389680; Joint Women's Programme: (011) 24619821; Sakshi- violence intervention center: (0124) 2562336/ 5018873; Nirmal Niketan (011) 27859158; JAGORI (011) 26692700; Nari Raksha Samiti: (011) 23973949; RAHI Recovering and Healing from Incest. A support centre for women survivors of child sexual abuse: (011) 26238466/ 26224042, 26227647.