A picket in support of women in Saudi Arabia who protested a ban on their right to have driving licences was held outside the country's embassy on Fitzwilliam Square in Dublin yesterday, reports Fiona Gartland.
Activists from the Irish Women’s Liberation Movement were joined by individuals, cross-party politicians and representatives of the National Women’s Council of Ireland for the picket. Saudi women launched a civil disobedience campaign yesterday by driving themselves – in defiance of an informal ban on female drivers.
The women began organising after activist Manal al-Sharif was arrested for driving and uploading videos of herself doing so on YouTube. Dublin picket organiser Máirín de Búrca said international support for the women’s protest was critical.