Story By: Ernest Bio Bogore, Sub-Editor: Joseph Golder, Agency:  Newsflash

French shopkeepers have posed topless to protest the government “stripping them naked” during the latest COVID-19 lockdown.

Hairdresser Helene Wasselin came up with the idea after the local mayors’ plans to allow ‘non-essential’ businesses to carry on was shot down by the regional government.

Wasselin, who owns a hair salon in the city of Boulogne-sur-Mer in the northern French department of Pas-de-Calais, took part in the photoshoot with other local business owners following the government’s decision to invoke a second national lockdown.

According to Ouest-France, the mayor issued decrees allowing non-essential shops to stay open following support from a number of local councillors.

However, the regional authorities in the departments of Pas-de-Calais and Nord called the mayoral decree illegal and the businesses were prevented from opening.

Wasselin said: “They (mayor’s office) helped us, it’s true, but we realised that they have no power in this situation.”

On 31st October, the hairdresser came up with the idea to pose naked, explaining: “We all have the impression that the government is completely stripping us naked so why not lay ourselves bare in front of them.”

Wasselin messaged around 90 shopkeepers in Boulogne-sur-Mer on and half of them agreed to take part in the shoot.

She said: “Of course, we agree to isolate to help healthcare workers like we did in the spring, but we want to show that this is totally unjustified.”

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