TAKE BACK THE NIGHT (WOMEN ONLY) / 8 MARCH 2012

MEETING POINT 8 march 2012

at place de la bastille

(corner rue de la roquette)

PARIS

at 8 : 30 pm.

International Women’s Day grew out of demonstrations and strikes of working women and
feminist demands for equality at the beginning of the twentieth century. Today, this day, is once
more co-opted by the political class, while shops give us roses.

Between political recuperation and good patriarchal
conscience, 8 March will be OUR day. But...

Every day we are harassed by a boss,
chatted up by a neighbour, insulted by a
stranger, raped by an uncle or a partner,
murdered by a husband.

Every day a black cleaning lady is raped by
a presidential hopeful who still struts about
the “international scene”.

Every day a homeless woman immolates
herself in despair in the Paris area.

Every day a prostitute is raped by three cops
in a police van – cops who are acquitted by
the class-based, patriarchal justice system.

Every day we are treated like liars when we

speak out against those aggressions.

Every day we have to put up with
precarious work, with the social crisis, with
imposed part-time work, low wages, housing
problems, a double workload, economic
dependence on a partner, prostitution.

Every day abortion centres close, helplines
for women who are victims of rape are
privatised, the job centre gives us «makeovers
» (so we can be easier relegated to work
as strippers ?)

Every day we are shut away, in prison or outside.

Every day we are subject to patriarchy and
heterosexism.

In all walks of life, all social classes, all
cultures, at all ages.
In the family, with our partners, with our
friends, in our activist spaces.
In the street, on the subway, at work, at
home, at parties.

It’s EVERY DA Y, EVER Y
NIGHT AND EVERYWHERE.

International Women’s Day grew out of demonstrations and strikes of working women and
feminist demands for equality at the beginning of the twentieth century. Today, this day, is once
more co-opted by the political class, while shops give us roses.
Masculine solidarity gives aggressors and their accomplices a feeling of impunity. Their
propaganda of sexist hatred condemns us all to shut up and drowns us more and more, while
the justice system supports the most masculinist discourses.

General Assembly of Feminists and LesbiansAgainst the Impunity of Masculine Violence - www.ag-feministe.tk

Join us ! Next GAs: 5 March, 19 March & 2 April 2012 - 6:30pm - at the
Bourse du Travail, 3 rue du Château d’Eau, Paris 10è - Métro République

The General Assembly of Feminists and Lesbians, a non-mixed gathering of women and
lesbians, has been meeting every second Monday since September 2011.
Following the acquittal of DSK by the US-justice system, we mobilised against the impunity of
masculine violence. We took action to highlight the responsibility of politics and media, and to
denounce the law of silence. We demonstrated on 5 November to break this silence and against all
masculine violence done to women. We denounced the hypocrisy of the ideology of the couple and the
family at Christmas and on Valentine’s Day.
We act whenever possible to free ourselves from the oppressions, violence, and harassment we
experience on a daily basis. We are developing practices of solidarity amongst ourselves. We denounce
what society refuses to acknowledge: the enormous impunity of masculine violence. We rebel
publicly and act to give hope to women in struggle in Paris, In France, in Europe, and in the world.
We act depending on our needs, desires and motivations. In addition to the biweekly GA, the GA is
organized in committees, which are open to all those who participate in the GA. Everyone can propose
a committee. Committees work in small groups on specific issues or on everything that we find is
necessary to organise, resist and liberate ourselves.
WE WILL NOT SHUT UP !

In public space, the night is meant to turn us into victims. We should stay covered up. We should stay accom-panied or be taken home. But we are not afraid. Since the 70s, women,
lesbians, feminists, take back the night, the street, public space, in women-only marches.
take back the night ?
Today, we organise as women and lesbians on a basis of class. We are learning to defend ourselves verbally and physically. We are creating relations of sisterhood and mutual support. We are building our autonomy. We no longer feel guilt or doubt or shame. Let’s fight back, and we’ll see who is « asking for it »! Enough
of their impunity !

LET'S FIGHT BACK! LET'S ATTACK!
Women & lesbians, let’s
take back the night and the
street on 8 March 2012