'A Rapist In Your Way': The Viral Chilean Feminist Anthem You Need To Watch

“Y la culpa no era mía, ni dónde estaba, ni cómo vestía”

And the fault wasn’t mine, not where I was, not how I dressed.

This Chilean feminist protest on violence against women has gone viral in the last two weeks, with groups of women replicating it across the world.

Called interventions, the flash mob organised by the feminist collective LasTesis, was first performed in Chile’s Valparaíso on November 20, Chile Today reported .

On International Day for the Elimination of Violence Against Women scores of women performed it outside Chile’s Supreme Court and other government buildings across the country.

The song’s title ‘A Rapist On Your Way’ is a twist on the police slogan ‘A friend on your way’, the report says.

“And the fault wasn’t mine, not where I was, not how I dressed
And the fault wasn’t mine, not where I was, not how I dressed
And the fault wasn’t mine, not where I was, not how I dressed
And the fault wasn’t mine, not where I was, not how I dressed

The rapist is you.
The rapist is you.

It’s the cops,
The judges,
The state,
The president.

The oppressive state is a rapist.
The oppressive state is a rapist.”

(Quartz  has a full translation of the song and how it is performed.)

It has since been performed in Colombia, Costa Rica, Argentina, Spain, Germany, France, and Mexico, according to Chile Today.

The lyrics quote a stanza from the Chilean police anthem, which says, “Sleep calmly, innocent girl/ Without worrying about the bandit/For over your smiling, sweet dreams/watches your loving cop,” according to Quartz .

Chilean feminists have been performing the song in party clothes or clothes women would wear while out at night, and with translucent black bands tied over their eyes.

See photos of the protest: