Three topless
Ukrainian protesters were detained today as they bid to break into an
invitation-only gathering of CEOs and political leaders to call attention to
the needs of the world's poor.
With
temperatures around freezing in the snow-filled town, they took off their tops
and tried to climb a fence before being detained.
After a
complicated journey to reach the heavily guarded Swiss resort town of Davos,
the Ukrainians arrived at the entrance to the complex where the World Economic
Forum takes place every year.
'Crisis! Made in Davos,' read one message painted across a protester's torso,
while others held banners that said 'Poor, because of you' and 'Gangsters party
in Davos.'
Davos police
spokesman Thomas Hobi said the three women were taken to the police station and
told that they weren't allowed to demonstrate.
He said they would be released later today.
The activists
are from the group Femen, which has become popular in Ukraine for staging
small, half-naked protests to highlight a range of issues including oppression
of political opposition.
They have also conducted protests in other countries.
'We came here
to Switzerland to Davos to explain the position of all poor people of the
world, to explain that we are poor because of these rich people who now sit in
the building,' said protester Inna Schewcenko.
They were
joined by demonstrators from the Occupy movement, which started with opposition
to practices on Wall Street, who marched separately to the edge of the
gathering.
They held a
separate demonstration in Davos and a small group of their protesters are now
camped in igloos in Davos to call for more help for the needy.
About 40
Occupy protesters gathered in front of the town hall.
Some held
placards with slogans such as 'If voting would change anything, it would be
illegal' and 'Don't let them decide for you, Occupy WEF.'
They then marched toward the forum, prompting about a dozen police officers to
hastily erect a mobile barrier as shoppers looked on with bemusement.
The
demonstrators chanted anti-capitalist slogans, remaining about 30 meters from
police lines.
One member of
the Occupy camp was invited to speak at a special event outside the forum on
Friday night to discuss the future of capitalism, while British opposition
leader Ed Miliband was also speaking.
Soon after the panel discussion began, some activists in the audience jumped up
and started chanting slogans, and the protester panelist walked off the stage.
Other members
of the audience told the activists to 'shut up' and arguments disrupted the
panel for about 20 minutes.
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