When activism seizes city walls

Feminist collages are gaining more and more importance in cities in France but also across the world. We take a look back at a movement that frees speech and breaks many taboos on violence against women.

"We do not tolerate any discrimination" this can be read in the introduction to the collages_feminicides_paris Instagram account. This account relays all these militant collages that we see more and more, especially in Paris. There are first names, phrases and various punchlines that call for an end to violence against women. Feminicides, rapes, assaults, harassment … All the themes that concern us have been highlighted since August 2019. The movement began at the initiative of Marguerite Stern, a former member of Femen, and reveals a deep desire to reclaim the street and to show that women do not need men to claim their rights and demand respect.

Reclaiming public space

By expressing themselves in the street, the women of this collective take power in a space that has never been considered reassuring or secure for them. Then there is the educational aspect that it includes. In the street, it is a wider audience that is targeted. We no longer go only through social networks, often followed by Internet users who are already aware of the subject. Coming home from school, work or walking in the streets, it is children, adolescents, parents, women and men from all walks of life who realize the terrible realization of persistent sexism.

We do not tolerate discrimination

Now, in more than thirty cities across France, these collages are appearing: "Gender-based violence, feminist responses" or "Ministry of Rape" in relation to the controversial appointment of Gérald Darmanin to the government. These feminist collages, although ephemeral in the street, endure over time, as they respond to various societal phenomena that are deeply sexist and rooted in reality. Recently, the members of this feminist collective paid a vibrant tribute to the 122 women victims of feminicides since the first collage appeared on the street last year. It is a poignant memorial that can be seen in the 11th arrondissement of Paris where the names of all the victims have been plastered.

A strong spirit of solidarity

There is a spirit of sorority with feminist collages. These women meet at night, brushes and glue in hand, to build a shared space. They feel a lot more confident and there is a very liberating aspect to posting these messages on the walls: "Going out at night together gives me the liberating feeling of reclaiming the space. After that I come home alone in the evening, I'm more comfortable ", explained for example Inès, a Parisian splicer, to France Inter. All this is without taking into account the supportive and inspiring aspect that these actions involve: " There are really a lot of people in Paris, so whenever I want to go, I always find people to come with me. Usually there are six ", adds Inès.

Now the movement is global. On the Instagram account of collages_feminicides_paris, we can read: "On August 30, 2019, we met in small groups to paint and paste the names of the women murdered by their (ex) spouse. A year later, we are nearly 3,000 in Paris, several thousand activists in 200 cities in France, as well as in a dozen countries around the world. "

Indeed, in England, in Brussels, in Milan or in Portugal, feminist collages are multiplying. Women around the world are claiming their rights, demanding change in their own countries and elsewhere. There is something universal. No French feminist collage has been translated abroad. Each member appropriates space, walks and explores their world in an activist spirit. The different collage groups therefore seem to organize themselves independently of each other. There is listening, advice, the font is always the same, but everyone is free to express themselves as they wish. The street finally gives a voice to women while in the rest of their daily lives, it is often limited, whether at school, at work, in their relationship or within family and friends circles.

Activism kept in confinement

Although lockdown prevented them from taking to the streets to express their anger, the collages persisted. Many of them have displayed their collages from their window. Thus, the few passers-by, neighbors or even drivers, continued to be made aware. In Montreuil, for example, you could see these words displayed in a window: "We won't forget you / 3919 ". This has proven to be a bold way to continue campaigning on the streets despite the lockdown.

Then there are the virtual collages. Instagram remains the main tool of these activists who, with a few edits, manage to get their messages across to photos taken outdoors. The collages_feministe account, for example, seized a photo of the Louvre pyramid to unveil alarming figures on sexual assault. Éva Viallon, activist and graphic designer, confided in Celsalab on this subject : "I have been making these virtual collages since the end of March. I had only done one collage in the street before. Since confinement, I got a little more involved in the fight. (…) Social networks are a bit like new media, almost everyone is on the networks, you have more visibility. The lockdown means more time is spent on social media, so it was necessary to continue the fight in order to reach even more people. "

Gluing machines in danger

If the collages do a lot of good to those who put them up on the walls as much as to those who pass by by chance, others are not of the same opinion. Many activists have been attacked after putting up these posters. If they shed light on their need for expression by saying "You will not silence us", some try to silence them with violence. Last August, in Montpellier, a motorist stops his car, goes to see four splicers and insults them. He leaves with his car and finally returns a few minutes later, rushing towards them. The impact is real: three of the young women have bruises on their legs and significant psychological trauma. The one who had managed to avoid the collision expressed her dismay and fear to France Bleu: "I thought my friends were dead or they had no legs, I am extremely shocked. I'm afraid to leave my house, I'm afraid of passing cars, I'm afraid of noise. "

The relentlessness of these splicers, despite the dangers and patriarchal opposition, appears to represent a new form of activism. We go out into the street to make public space a serene, educational and liberating place. But above all, we continue to communicate this commitment on social networks.

150 personalities sign a platform to raise awareness about violence against women

Video by Juliette Le Peillet