A tale of misguided protest tactics, FEMEN

FEMEN protests. Sigh. These 'ladies' have gone the extra mile recently in attracting attention to their cause against sex tourism, religious institutions, international marriage agencies, perceived sexism and other social, national and international topics. Recently FEMEN activists (three) protested bare breasted outside of a court house in Tunisia against the prosecution of a fellow activist, Amina Tyler. Now, the right to protest, in my view, should be protected. But at some point one does need to draw a line. How far, after all, can one take one's 'protest'? Does protesting, as they do, serve any purpose other than to draw attention to their bodies. Does the media, which are usually drawn in droves to the small protests, even care about the cause. Certainly the cause is given some air time but the focus seems to be on their actions, therefore detracting from the primary goal or at least the goal they are attempting to advance. Is protesting in a conservative society beneficial? Semi-naked protest activity in liberal states such as Spain, the UK and Germany are, in my view, passable, because they are unusual and don't shock the conscience of the majority of the viewers. But in a Muslim state, these protests cause more of an uproar than anything else. Would their cause not have been better served by protesting with legs and arms bared, something that is still acceptable but may still draw some attention? Possibly. For my part I think FEMEN are a great example of the Rihannanisation of the feminist movement. Decency, the moral high ground and ethical protest is what will change minds, not what they are currently doing.