MEPs dance to say “STOP violence against women” – Photos and Video

Flash mob at the European Parliament to support the One Billion Rising campaign
The writer Eve Ensler: “On February 14th there will be the biggest mass action on the planet”

The European Parliament MP’s together with the writer Eve Ensler, author of “The Vagina Monologues,” danced inside the European Parliament to promote the One Billion Rising campaign to stop violence against women. In reality it was a ‘dress rehearsal’ to try to reach the goal of involving one billion people in the whole world to dance together in a global strike on V-Day, February 14, 2013, Saint Valentine’s Day. A billion women and men protest to protect a billion women on the planet who are beaten and violated in their lives. A billion children mothers, grandmothers, sisters, lovers and friends.

 “I am proud to be here with the members of the European Parliament who will hold a global strike with a billion women and men on February 14, 2013 in what will be the largest mass action on the planet to end violence against women and girls,” Eva Ensler said in a press conference. “If only this global wind could stimulate and strengthen the efforts of these members of Parliament who are working on all fronts towards a new mentality and the end to rapes, female genital mutation, the traffic of women, incest and all forms of violence” the writer and activist continued.

With Eva Ensler were: the Vice-President of the European Parliament, Isabelle Durant, the Deputy MP’s Franziska Brantner, Marielle Gallo, Ana Gomes, Kartika Liotard, Ulrike Lunacek, Sirpa Pietikäinen, Renate Weber e Cecilia Wikström, then joining at the time of the dance were, Michael Cashman, Leonidas Donskis, Mikael Gustafsson, Barbara Lochbihler, Gabriele Zimmer e Sylvie Guillaume. Politicians from various line-ups who, together asked the EU and member states to respect the objective and develop a united strategy on the prevention of violence against women, to work on future programs on rights and equality, to sign and ratify the European Convention for the prevention and the fight to stop violence against women and domestic abuse, to assure a strong and unified position from the EU regarding violence against women in the next UN Commission on the Status of Women.

Look at the photo gallery (click to enlarge)