Inna Shevchenko (Інна Шевченко)
member of feminist protest group FEMEN
born 1990 in Ukraine (age 23)
currently residing in France (granted her political asylum)
Background http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Inna_Shevchenko
On her anger http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Inna_Shevchenko#Quotes... is the most high profile member of the Ukrainian feminist protest group FEMEN, which regularly makes headline news across the world for demonstrating topless against what they perceive as manifestations of patriarchy, especially dictatorship, religion, and the sex industry.
Shevchenko was the leader of the three FEMEN activists reputedly kidnapped and threatened by the Belarus KGB in 2011.
She achieved attention in Ukraine by felling a 13 foot high Christian cross commemorating the Holodomor in central Kiev with a chainsaw in 2012.
In December 2012, the French magazine Madame Figaro included Shevchenko in its list of the world`s top 20 iconic women of the year.
In 2013, Shevchenko was granted political asylum in France, from where she continues her activism by leading FEMEN France from a training base she has established in Paris.
Inna had a childhood 'like that of all girls. I was brought up as a typical Ukranian, Slavic girl, and was taught not to shout or argue'. She was a 'patsanka' (tomboy) and was especially close to her father who was a military officer.
The 2004 Orange Revolution opened her eyes to politics and in the TV shows which pitted journalists against politicians the journalists 'looked more intelligent so I wanted to be one'. She went to university at the Taras Shevchenko National University of Kyiv from 2008 until 2012 where she studied journalism and graduated with honours.
Her extracurricular activity as a leader of the student government gave her political connections that helped land her a job in 2009 working for the Mayor's press office in Kiev.
On her kidknapping by the Belarus KGB http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Inna_Shevchenko#QuotesI've never been raped, I never was a victim of men. My consciousness was not raised by a blow from heaven or by a single event. It came gradually. My anger grew, starting from the day the press office fired me for my activism, not for any work-related reason. The more we demonstrated, and the more I saw how the police tried to stop us, the angrier I became. In each protest I went out to shout about what I couldn't stand anymore. When you see how hard police try to stop you, you understand how right you are to be out there.
On being the main inspiration for the new Marianne design on a French stamp http://blog.foreignpolicy.com/posts/...ce_controversyAs I waited for death, I felt something changing inside. I realized that I could do nothing except continue with my activism. I knew that if they asked me to beg them for my life, I would not do it. I was not ready to give up my struggle to save my life.
Wikipedia entry: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Inna_ShevchenkoFEMEN is on French stamp.Now all homophobes,extremists,fascists will have to lick my ass when they want to send a letter.
FEMEN: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/FEMEN
her Twitter account: https://twitter.com/femeninna