A-Infos (en) Czech, AFED: Fuck the patriarchy! - Report from the celebration of International Women's Day in Pilsen (ca, de, it, pt, tr)[machine translation]

After last year's "Women behind the counter" event, it was to be expected that 
women and girls in Pilsen would not leave the International Women's Day unnoticed 
this year either. And it's not. Even the scene of the crime has not changed - the 
cooperative cafe Družba. The organization was undertaken by a woman from the 
Pilsen collective Food not Bomb in cooperation with the artistic association 
Láskyplno. ---- On March 8th, after six in the evening, everything was ready - 
benefit merch with various printed tops, patches and stickers with (not only) 
feminist themes; publications of the Anarchist Federation Publishing House and, 
of course, the best - great benefit refreshments. And so it was enough to just 
have fun and drink until it was half past seven and everything went right at 
once. The organizers introduced the program of the evening to those present and 
immediately launched into a striking speech:

"In the last year, we have become convinced that nothing is certain, our 
position, the rights and freedoms we fought for are constantly being undermined 
in the context of global events, sometimes they are even just a lie. We 
reaffirmed that gender equality has still not been achieved and that the rights 
of women and other marginalized groups are systematically suppressed and 
discredited around the world. Europe is plagued by the biggest war conflict since 
the Second World War, and after the coronavirus pandemic, we must once again 
exert all our energies to help the people who are fleeing the war, among whom 
women, children and others predominate, whose position and situation require a 
special level of care. Because of those who remained to fight, the question of 
the legitimacy of active resistance was raised, to which Ukrainian feminists were 
forced to respond soon with the Manifesto for the Right to Resistance. Sexual 
violence was used as one of the weapons of war against those who chose not to 
participate in the war and stay in their homes. All over the world, the most 
powerful, mostly wealthy white heterosexual men, decide on women's lives and 
their bodies - in the USA, Latin America and Poland on abortion, in Afghanistan 
on freedom of education, expression and travel. Our own country is shaken by 
cases of sexual abuse, which are most often committed by men in privileged 
positions - professors, doctors, psychologists or politicians. It is precisely 
those who work with people, in the sphere of care and care, who commit the worst 
crimes that can be committed against other people.'

Speakers emphasized the need to ask the following questions until they become 
meaningless: "Why are women raised as nurturers and men as nurturers? Why are 
some driven into competitiveness and the public sphere, while others are kept in 
the private sphere and their main life goals are supposed to be caring for others 
and modesty? Why are women victims of violence more often than men? Why are the 
salaries of women and men different? Why do some have no access to some jobs and 
positions at all? Why is child care conceived so individualistically and forced 
above all on mothers? Why are some bodies considered more beautiful, better and 
more valid than others? How is it possible that in 2023 women around the world 
still can't treat their bodies as they see fit? How is it possible that women's 
bodies are decided by others, especially men?'

Subsequently, they named groups fighting for the right to abortion, such as Cioca 
Czesia, or the trade union from the social services sector ALICE, as examples 
worth following. They also emphasized the importance of care in society as a 
radical concern for the other person and everyday solidarity: "Without care, 
there are no cakes!"

Immediately after the speech, some - about forty people, mostly women - took to 
the streets with signs bearing imaginative slogans such as: "Women and trade 
unions - love beyond the mountains", "Freedom and destroy menstrual poverty", 
"Hair is fine" , "Solidarity with women from the Alzheimer Center", "Food not 
Bombs Pilsen", "Strike or I shoot", "Mother, daughter and holy feminism", "The 
best time in a woman's life is a riot" or "My body - my rules". It started to 
rain, but that did not diminish the enthusiasm, perhaps it only increased the 
speed. Chanting through the almost empty streets, we went to Petatrícátníký 
orchards, from there to Smetanové sady, where at Branka's, with constant chanting 
led by a megaphone, we turned towards Republic Square. Passers-by certainly could 
not hear slogans such as "Patriarchy out of the wheel - its end is our dream", 
"Without care there are no cakes, without money there is no care", etc. The 
demonstration stopped in front of the gates of the Catholic Cathedral of St. 
Bartholomew, where they chanted "My body - my choice", "Bububu feminist" or the 
most popular slogan of the whole event "Fuck the patriarchy". From there it was a 
short walk back to Druzhba, in front of which the police beacon was already 
flashing, but as the chanting approached, the car drove off.

By eight o'clock everyone was already dry and the music program could begin. The 
band Nihil Acutum started it with their approximately twenty-minute premiere 
performance. This female trio played several slower punk songs, which have to be 
credited with the absence of unnecessary stretching and the musical simplicity 
combined with the urgency of the vocals. After some time, everything was rebuilt 
on the (non)stage, the "women behind the counter" could show off while playing 
the records, while the others could have a great time with their music. All the 
necessary technical background for the launcher was provided by Tony Rocky Horror 
Vinyl Show.

A good hundred people turned up at the celebration in Druzhba. Through the 
voluntary entrance fee (it's just a shame that some had no idea about it at all) 
and the sale of charity merch and food, less than seven thousand were collected, 
which went to the organizations Ciocia Czesia (helps Polish women who have 
decided to terminate a pregnancy) and SOLA helps (dedicated to providing 
menstrual needs to people who cannot afford them).

A very refreshing celebration that showed, among other things, that the 
male-dominated activist environment is becoming a thing of the past. Thanks for that.

https://www.afed.cz/text/7891/prcat-patriarchat
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