Women feminist group found not guilty in September 2014 but prosecutor appealed.
A French court has confirmed the acquittal of eight activists from a Ukrainian feminist group Femen. They had been accused of damaging the bells of Notre Dame during a protest after the abdication of Pope Benedict in 2013.
The women were found not guilty in September 2014 but the prosecutor appealed. If convicted, they could have faced fines of up to EUR 1,000 each for damage to the bells which were on display in the nave of the cathedral for its 850th anniversary.
Elvire Charles, Femen activist: “In no way did we damage the bells, in no way did we plan to damage the bells, and society today needs to question the stubbornness off the church which is trying to oppose freedom of expression.”
The women sneaked into Notre Dame on February 12, 2013, the day after the Pope’s resignation, removing their tops and crying “Pope no more” and “Get lost, homophobe.”
The protest came at a time when a highly charged national debate was raging in France over gay marriage. The feminist group was formed in Ukraine in 2008 and has since staged numerous topless protests in France.
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