Topless protester with “Women’s Lives Matter” written on her body runs in front of Bill Cosby as he walks into suburban Philadelphia courthouse for start of sexual assault retrial. https://t.co/HQknXZCdXk pic.twitter.com/ZIUHhuXUKD
— NBC Bay Area (@nbcbayarea) April 9, 2018
A topless woman leapt over a barricade and charged at Bill Cosby early Monday morning as the disgraced comedian entered a Philadelphia courthouse for the start of his sexual assault retrial.
Before the woman could reach her mark, nearby sheriff’s deputies intervened, intercepting and restraining the woman, who was later taken into custody.
Jeannette Reyes, who works for the local ABC affiliate noted:
Dramatic start to the day as we awaited Bill Cosby. Topless protester taken into custody after charging at the comedian as he walked into courthouse for sex assault retrial.
Prior to her outburst, the topless woman was one of roughly six people chanting in support of Cosby’s accuser. According to ABC Action News Philadelphia, the woman had “Women’s Lives Matter” written in red ink on her breasts and stomach as well as “other phrases in black and red all over her body.”
Cosby, for his part, appeared a bit shaken up and confused as to why a woman would run towards him. Ultimately, however, the abased octogenarian was neither touched nor injured during the incident.
Less than an hour after the topless charge, feminist activist Inna Shevchenko posted an image and tweet appearing to credit the protest to the direct action and performance art group #Femen. She tweeted:
FEMEN activist faced Bill Cosby as he walked into a suburban Philadelphia Courthouse Monday for the start of his sexual assault retrial. We asked to convince Cosby the Rapist and stand in solidarity with all victims!
❗️#FEMEN activist faced Bill Cosby as he walked into a suburban Philadelphia courthouse Monday for the start of his sexual assault retrial. We demand to convict Cosby the Rapist and stand in solidarity with all victims! #BillCosby #BillCosby #metoo #timesup pic.twitter.com/JrMV1tNfYV
— inna shevchenko (@femeninna) April 9, 2018
Here’s another angle of the confrontation:
Topless protester charges at Bill Cosby as retrial begins.
Read the full story: https://t.co/MhSy8mxwEa pic.twitter.com/KibpzZjV5C— KUTV 2News (@KUTV2News) April 9, 2018
And another:
🔴 SUIVI – #USA: La militante des #FEMEN est désormais en détention après avoir tenté de se confronter à #BillCosby à son arrivée au procès pour agression sexuelle et viol." #Cosby #femen #metoo #timesup #BillCosby #BillCosby #metoo #timesup (Vidéo: @NewsThisSecond) pic.twitter.com/YLE2BcdRWm
— FranceNews24 (@FranceNews24) April 9, 2018
As the commotion died down, the activist–who has yet to be identified–was led away in handcuffs as Cosby quickly shuffled into the Montgomery County Courthouse, where legal arguments are soon set to commence.
[image via screengrab/NBC Bay Area]
Follow Colin Kalmbacher on Twitter: @colinkalmbacher
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