Culture
08 Oct 15

FEMINIST PROTESTERS STORM THE LONDON PREMIERE OF SUFFRAGETTE

Suffragette has faced enough controversies this week thanks to its cast, but another scandal was awaiting the filmmakers at its premiere in London.

The film’s publicity trail has been mired with backlash to statements made by the cast, including Meryl Streep claiming she’s not a feminist, and a poorly-worded t-shirt donned by the cast in Time Out London which was deemed racially insensitive.
But last night, it wasn’t the cast who were causing a stir – it was the feminist protesters who stormed the Odeon cinema premiere, jumping the barriers onto the red carpet. More than a hundred protesters and activists from Sisters Uncut, who campaign against domestic violence, used the opening of the film to highlight the cuts to domestic violence services, declaring “the battle isn’t over yet!”
As the film’s actresses, including Helena Bonham Carter, Carey Mulligan, Romala Garai and Anne-Marie Duff posed in beautiful dresses for throngs of paparazzi, and signed autographs for adoring fans, the protesters began chanting “Dead women can’t vote!” and “We are suffragettes!”
One protester explained that she was at the premiere because she was angry about cuts to domestic violence support services. “But I am also here to represent – to show that all women of all backgrounds have rights and if they are not met we will take action until they are.”
Domestic violence survivor and Sisters Uncut activist Angie Johnson said: “My life was saved by specialist services and we must fight every step of the way to make sure all women can access them.”
Another protester highlighted that the cuts “disproportionately affect women of colour. Of the 32 services for women affected by domestic violence that have been closed since 2010, they were all specialist services which helped LGBQ and BAME women.”
The racially insensitive actions of the cast during the week highlighted the passion and social awareness of the protesters – who quickly found their demonstration interrupted by the police.
The cast seemed surprised by the protest but all spoke of it positively, with Carey Mulligan remarking that “hopefully this film will inspire everyone in the way they view the world. We are an unbalanced society – women and men – and films like this inspire conversations about how we can correct that imbalance.”