'F*** Euro 2012' - The protests, fury & disaffection that threaten to overshadow this summer’s tournament in Poland & Ukraine
Euro 2012 will be unlike any event that Poland has ever hosted: investment, which has exceeded €20 billion [£16bn], is unprecedented in a country where indoor plumbing is seen as a luxury, rather than the norm. As a result, Wloch feels that locals will be apprehensive ahead of the big kick-off.
“The Poles have no experience with such mass events and are bracing themselves for the arrival of hundreds of thousands of tourists,” she continued. “Generally, there is an atmosphere of moderate anticipation.”
Even among the nation’s football fraternity, the mood is not one of eagerness. One dissenting supporter, who preferred to remain anonymous, revealed that, during the final day of the Polish domestic season, fans in the stands staged a protest against the summer tournament and the financially-driven nature of the modern game.
“The Poles have no experience with such mass events and are bracing themselves for the arrival of hundreds of thousands of tourists,” she continued. “Generally, there is an atmosphere of moderate anticipation.”
Even among the nation’s football fraternity, the mood is not one of eagerness. One dissenting supporter, who preferred to remain anonymous, revealed that, during the final day of the Polish domestic season, fans in the stands staged a protest against the summer tournament and the financially-driven nature of the modern game.
He said: “In the last round of the Polish Extraklasa, fans from all teams agreed to present banners with the same strong, clear message: ‘Against mod€rn football. F*** Euro 2012.'"
Local football fans are not the only naysayers. Many activists have joined together in an attempt to ensure their grievances are heard. In particular, Ukrainian organisation FEMEN has made headlines for its controversial protests.
Founded in 2008 by students in Kiev, FEMEN has made it its mission to combat the city’s rampant human trafficking and prostitution problem.
The year before the group’s creation, more than 23 million foreigners visited the Ukrainian capital, a 22% increase on the previous year, with the rise attributed to the growing sex industry. Indeed, four years ago, police estimated that as many as 12,000 prostitutes worked in the country as a whole.
Never ones to shy away from controversy, FEMEN first shot to prominence as a result of their topless protests against sex tourism. In May alone, activists twice failed in attempts to snatch the Euro 2012 trophy.
And while she refused to reveal exact details of her plans, leader Anna Hutsol has pledged that her army of more than 300 will make its collective voice heard during the tournament, both in Ukraine and in Poland.
The group only recently declared itself “neo-feminist,” and is widely denounced by the feminist community and Ukrainian academics.
“FEMEN is more an example of scandalous celebrities than of intellectual and critical social activism,” said Oleg Demkiv, associate professor of sociology at Lviv University.
However, sex trafficking is not the only gripe that feminists in Eastern Europe have against the upcoming tournament. Many are opposed to the financial and cultural investment in an event that they feel will be only appreciated by half the population.
Local football fans are not the only naysayers. Many activists have joined together in an attempt to ensure their grievances are heard. In particular, Ukrainian organisation FEMEN has made headlines for its controversial protests.
Founded in 2008 by students in Kiev, FEMEN has made it its mission to combat the city’s rampant human trafficking and prostitution problem.
The year before the group’s creation, more than 23 million foreigners visited the Ukrainian capital, a 22% increase on the previous year, with the rise attributed to the growing sex industry. Indeed, four years ago, police estimated that as many as 12,000 prostitutes worked in the country as a whole.
Never ones to shy away from controversy, FEMEN first shot to prominence as a result of their topless protests against sex tourism. In May alone, activists twice failed in attempts to snatch the Euro 2012 trophy.
And while she refused to reveal exact details of her plans, leader Anna Hutsol has pledged that her army of more than 300 will make its collective voice heard during the tournament, both in Ukraine and in Poland.
The group only recently declared itself “neo-feminist,” and is widely denounced by the feminist community and Ukrainian academics.
“FEMEN is more an example of scandalous celebrities than of intellectual and critical social activism,” said Oleg Demkiv, associate professor of sociology at Lviv University.
However, sex trafficking is not the only gripe that feminists in Eastern Europe have against the upcoming tournament. Many are opposed to the financial and cultural investment in an event that they feel will be only appreciated by half the population.
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