On Friday, a nearly naked protester with the words “stop raping us” written across her torso stormed the Cannes red carpet.
On the red carpet for George Miller’s new film Three Thousand Years Of Longing (Trois Mille Ans A T’Attendre), the incident occurred.
The unidentified woman tore off her clothes during the film’s red carpet procession to reveal the message ‘Stop raping us’ written across her torso next to the blue and yellow colors of the Ukraine flag. Red was also painted on her legs and groin.
Authorities rushed over to cover her with a black coat as she screamed, “Don’t rape us! ”
New York Times reporter Kyle Buchanan managed to record a quick clip of the moment, but it was eventually blocked. Here’s what he wrote in a tweet, describing the incident:
“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.”
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
While the incident elicited numerous reactions online, many people were perplexed as to how the woman managed to bypass security and run down the red carpet.
According to Variety, entering the Lumiere theatre in the Palais de Cannes requires multiple security checks, with many guards stationed at the gate. As attendees enter, they must pass through additional security checks, including a metal detector, before being allowed to enter the theatre.
Since the beginning of Russia’s military operation in Ukraine, there have been numerous reports of Russian soldiers raping Ukrainian civilians.
Russia’s war in Ukraine has often been in the spotlight at this year’s Cannes festival, which is screening several films from Ukrainian filmmakers. The festival has not barred Russians with ties to the Kremlin from attending.
Sources: Breitbart, Nypost, Variety