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SEXISM

Feminists protest against ‘sexist’ optician advert

Feminists in Spain have protested against an advert that they claim objectifies women into nothing more than "pieces of meat".

Feminists protest against 'sexist' optician advert
Protesters at a branch of Spanish optician Multiópticas protesting against the company's latest ad. Photo: Yolanda Dominguez

Women across Spain staged a simultaneous protest at branches of Spanish optician Multiópticas on Wednesday, May 6th, in protest against the chain’s latest advert.

They were protesting against the use of women’s bodies in the advert, dressing similarly to the women in the commercial to make a point about the objectification of women.

In the advert, a man walks into a bar full of women, while a sultry voice over says “Have that incredible first time feeling any time you want.”

Critics have pointed out that the advert shows women as nothing more than a “sexual product”.

Protestors were reportedly insulted by passersby as they stood outside the optical chain and in Seville, eight protesters were arrested by police.

According to the magazine Feminismo Cáustico the advert “reduced women to pieces of meat”.

“When a woman sees another woman objectified in an advert she has to feel jealous and want to do anything at any cost to look like her, whereas when a man sees those women and drools and say something like 'boooooobs',” the magazine wrote.

“This is the way masculine and feminine roles have been simplified because of the sexist culture we have grown up in,” it added. 

People have also been showing their dislike of the advert in comments posted under the video on YouTube:

“This advert is so shameful, I'm not going to give this company another euro, never!” wrote user Francisco Javier Prieto Espert. 

“Why such a sexist ad? Why does an ad for an opticians have to send this message?” wrote Estefania Rodriguez. 

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PROTESTS

Calls for special police tactics to be available across Sweden

The chairwoman of the Police Association West Region has said that police special tactics, known as Särskild polistaktik or SPT, should be available across Sweden, to use in demonstrations similar to those during the Easter weekend.

Calls for special police tactics to be available across Sweden

SPT, (Särskild polistaktik), is a tactic where the police work with communication rather than physical measures to reduce the risk of conflicts during events like demonstrations.

Tactics include knowledge about how social movements function and how crowds act, as well as understanding how individuals and groups act in a given situation. Police may attempt to engage in collaboration and trust building, which they are specially trained to do.

Katharina von Sydow, chairwoman of the Police Association West Region, told Swedish Radio P4 West that the concept should exist throughout the country.

“We have nothing to defend ourselves within 10 to 15 metres. We need tools to stop this type of violent riot without doing too much damage,” she said.

SPT is used in the West region, the South region and in Stockholm, which doesn’t cover all the places where the Easter weekend riots took place.

In the wake of the riots, police unions and the police’s chief safety representative had a meeting with the National Police Chief, Anders Tornberg, and demanded an evaluation of the police’s work. Katharina von Sydow now hopes that the tactics will be introduced everywhere.

“This concept must exist throughout the country”, she said.

During the Easter weekend around 200 people were involved in riots after a planned demonstration by anti-Muslim Danish politician Rasmus Paludan and his party Stram Kurs (Hard Line), that included the burning of the Muslim holy book, the Koran.

Police revealed on Friday that at least 104 officers were injured in counter-demonstrations that they say were hijacked by criminal gangs intent on targeting the police. 

Forty people were arrested and police are continuing to investigate the violent riots for which they admitted they were unprepared. 

Paludan’s application for another demonstration this weekend was rejected by police.

In Norway on Saturday, police used tear gas against several people during a Koran-burning demonstration after hundreds of counter-demonstrators clashed with police in the town of Sandefjord.

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