Images of a completely nude woman who faced a police unit during an anti-racist protest in Portland swept the world. Who’s hiding behind this powerful ‘performance’?
The female, dressed in literally nothing more than a mask and a hat, sat in the middle of the street under the gaze of armed federal agents.
#NakedAthena #nakedathenainportland is my new favorite icon. Stopping violence with her literal naked body. #PortlandProtest pic.twitter.com/eEHw6VECG7
— melly (@quezoncityqueen) July 19, 2020
Then, she performed a dance in front of the police, while one of the protesters protected her with a homemade shield. Security officers tried to drive her away with pepper spray but without success. About ten minutes later, they left the scene.
#NakedAthena has a Semper Fi set of balls.
Whoever she is, she deserves a Nobel Peace Prize.
I knew it was a bad idea to piss off the #wallofmoms pic.twitter.com/AuisxhxeKN— John Bick (@jbickxz) July 20, 2020
The activist’s photos of #NakedAthena, were quickly spread on the networks. Although the woman’s identity remains a mystery, it soon became one of the symbols of the peaceful fight against police brutality.
https://twitter.com/JohnnyB95746818/status/1285383652856270850
A friend of the woman commented in an interview with Inside Edition that “She is a very outspoken feminist, and just a really strong courageous person.” the friend added that Athena “She just went and stood in front of them and faced them down and in a very vulnerable way. There’s nothing a naked person can possibly do to harm a soldier. I think it made a very powerful statement.”
“I think it made a very powerful statement.” the friend concluded.
Dozens of US cities were the scene of violent protests after the death of an unarmed African American, identified as George Floyd, following a violent police arrest. Protesters, supported by the anti-racist movement Black Lives Matter, confront security agents and demolish statues linked to slavery.