Hundreds of people paraded through Jerusalem’s popular Jaffa Street on Friday morning to stage the annual “SlutWalk March” which calls for an end to rape culture, including victim blaming and “slut shaming” of sexual assault victims.
The marchers, the majority of whom were women, carried signs and placards bearing various slogans such as “How should I dress? It’s none of your business” and “Don’t tell us how to dress! Tell men not to rape.”
Other marchers waved signs saying: “We are daughters of the witches who you couldn’t bewitch”, “The courts embrace rapists” and “No means no!”
Among the participants were also men who marched in women’s clothing and were greeted with surprising leniency by capital’s residents.
One minor skirmish was reported during the march involving two women expressing their outrage at the provocatively revealing attire of the participants. Responding to their disapproval in which insulting remarks were hurled at the marchers, the women shouted back accusing them of harboring attitudes and outlooks which gave a pass to men for raping women.
Three weeks ago, the protest march was held in Tel Aviv attracting some 1,200 people. "The word slut is a violent social tool designed to embarrass women and cultivate violence against women," the organizers explained. "So we've claimed this word and taken away society's ability to use it against us."