At least three feminist activists were detained on Friday after vandalizing a monument outside the United Nations complex in Geneva to protest Russia's war against Ukraine and what they see as the U.N.'s failure to stop the conflict.
Two topless women with the group FEMEN, which is known for its provocative protests, used a chainsaw to cut into the wooden sculpture known as the “Broken Chair.”
One woman with white flowers in her hair left several large gashes in a leg of the sculpture, a 12-meter (40-foot) tall giant chair with a broken leg. The artwork symbolizes the dismemberment caused by land mines and is a call to ban the devastating weapons, which have also been used in the war in Ukraine.
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The two women wore bands in the blue and yellow colors of the Ukrainian flag on their legs. They had words including “stop mines” and “F—- russia” painted on their bare chests and backs in near-freezing temperatures, and shouted expletives repeatedly against the United Nations and Russia.
They declined to speak to reporters afterward.
At least three women — including a colleague of the two demonstrators — were later detained by police officers in three cars.
“The U.N. was created to ensure peace, but its failure to stop the aggressor only adds to the tragedy of symbols such as the Broken Chair, a reminder of the human suffering caused by anti-personnel mines," a statement from the group read.
The group called for the expulsion of Russia from the United Nations over its war in Ukraine, which involved a full-scale invasion in Feb. 2022.
"Ukraine has become a victim of betrayal and military aggression, and the world cannot cover itself with monuments, remaining indifferent while we are being destroyed,” it said.
