PRESS RELEASE

Contact: Henry Herrera

Telephone: +1-301-801-0608

Email: davia@endtodv.org

UN Women Must Condemn Wave of Feminist Violence on International Women’s Day

May 5, 2025 – International Women’s Day originally was designed to commemorate the global progress in promoting gender equality for women. But now, it’s men who are lagging behind women in 12 areas such as health, education, treatment by the legal system, and more (1). And International Women’s Day (IWD) events have become increasingly confrontational, angry, and violent.

IWD protests that turned violent have been reported in previous years around the world, including in Warsaw, Poland (2), São Paulo, Brazil (3), Istanbul, Turkey (4), Pristina, Kosovo (5), and elsewhere (6). A World Watch Research report reveals, “It is especially worrying that the degree of violence and aggression towards churches and religious statues is increasing in intensity every year.” (7)

The IWD protests have been especially widespread in Latin America, where the Catholic Church continues to play a lead role in opposing abortion. Not surprisingly, IWD violence has become widespread in that region, particularly in Argentina, Chile, Colombia, Mexico, and Peru (8).

The March 8 events of this year were particularly virulent in Mexico City, where 200,000 feminists gathered to stage a city-wide protest. Groups smashed the fences of the of National Palace and Metropolitan Cathedral, launched small rockets, and lit bonfires. Multiple government buildings were set on fire. The feminist Black Bloc group smashed storefronts, painted graffiti, and destroyed objects as they marched through the streets. (9)

IWD events turned violent in other Mexican cities, as well (10):

  • Guanajuato: Feminists burned the outside of the State Congress, and set fire to objects at the entrance to the Municipal Presidency of Leon.
  • Puebla: Several women entered the Specialized Prosecutor’s Office and set fire to offices and documents.
  • Sonora: A contingent of protestors set fire to windows of the Federal Judiciary.

Numerous photographs confirm the veracity of these media accounts (11).

The International Women’s Day protests have gone far beyond what could be described as “peaceful.” One analysis deplores how “religious buildings and faithful [have been] attacked. People were left unaided by police and other emergency services as they sought to defend their churches, temples, and other religious buildings at great personal risk.” (12)

Commentator Jonathan McGuinness has decried the “weaponization of fear” in which totalitarian ideologies engage in “Threats of physical harm, violence, or legal repercussions [to] create an atmosphere of intimidation, compelling individuals to comply with demands out of sheer self-preservation.” (13)

Now, International Women’s Day protests often resemble a lawless uprising, a precursor to a gender neo-Cultural Revolution.

Leading feminist organizations must speak out against these manifestations of mob justice. As the leading proponent of the global feminist movement (14), UN Women must now take the lead to condemn and bring an end to the outbreaks.

The Domestic Abuse and Violence International Alliance – DAVIA — consists of 188 member organizations from 39 countries in Africa, Asia, Australia, Europe, Latin America, and North America. DAVIA seeks to ensure that domestic violence and abuse polices are science-based, family-affirming, and gender-inclusive. https://endtodv.org/davia/

Links:

  1. menandboys.net
  2. PBS News, “Polish women mark Women’s Day protesting abortion ban,” March 8, 2021.
  3. France24, “Huge protests in Latin America on International Women’s Day,” March 8, 2020.
  4. NPR, “International Women’s Day: Clashes, Coronavirus And Women Prepare To Strike,” March 8, 2020.
  5. Wikipedia, “International Women’s Day,” March 10, 2025, Wikipedia, “International Women’s Day,” March 10, 2025.
  6. https://endtodv.org/2025/04/26/feminists-increasingly-engage-in-acts-of-violent-extremism/
  7. https://www.opendoors.org/en-US/research-reports/articles/stories/latin-america-churches-vandalized-during-womens-day-marches/
  8. https://www.saveservices.org/2025/05/8833/
  9. https://www.ojala.mx/en/ojala-en/as-feminists-rise-against-violence-mexico-mourns
  10. https://www.catholicnewsagency.com/news/262677/cathedrals-churches-in-mexico-vandalized-during-international-women-s-day-marches
  11. https://www.infobae.com/mexico/2025/03/08/marcha-8m-cdmx-2025-en-vivo-actualizaciones-sobre-la-movilizacion-por-el-dia-internacional-de-la-mujer-hoy-8-de-marzo/
  12. https://media-strapi-prod.acninternational.org/Executive_Summary_2023_EN_web_version_97f51e2efb.pdf Page 12.
  13. https://jonathanmcguinness.medium.com/the-weaponization-of-fear-how-manipulation-undermines-autonomy-7d1592f83d48
  14. https://www.unwomen.org/en/get-involved/international-womens-day