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The next day, I headed down to where the ultra nationalists were gathering at Place de la Madeleine. The army of flag-waving, banner-thrusting thugs in black bomber jackets—who were soundtracked by a truck blasting out dramatic classical music, kind of like the Helicopter Attack in Apocalypse Now, just a bit more fascist—were pretty intimidating. As soon as we got our cameras out, the PR guy from France's infamous Troisième Voie neo-Nazi group walked up and informed us of what we could and could not film.We were then introduced to the group's leader, Serge Ayoub, a buff, middle-aged man in a suit jacket with a shaved head and a crooked nose. Serge explained that they had gathered for their annual celebration of Joan of Arc, who kicked the Brits out of France, but also to protest against globalization, “which is destroying our national economy and identity.” After about an hour, the nationalist groups started marching toward the statue of Joan of Arc, where Inna, Sarah, and the other Femen were waiting with their banner.
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Before meeting Femen, I was in two minds about their tactics. On the one hand, they’ve found a genius way of getting noticed. But are people too distracted by their nipples for their messages to gain any traction? Either way, they have successfully managed to get feminism back on the front pages, which has to count for something. Femen’s nonviolent, topless-protest tactics have even earned them the title of "The new face of feminism," which hasn't gone down too well with feminists who consider flashing your tits to protest prostitution and male oppression as a bit of an oxymoron.
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Don’t miss the VICE documentary on Femen, coming soon on VICE.com.Read more about Femen:The Egyptian Feminist Who Was Kidnapped for Posing Nude
