Honouring 50 Years of European Sex Worker Activism
Published 27 June 2025
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2nd June marked the 50th anniversary of a pivotal moment in our history: the occupation of the St. Nizier Church in Lyon, France. This act of defiance, led by sex workers, sparked a movement that continues to fight for rights, dignity and justice. To celebrate, we took to the streets and ESWA aired Whore TV, as sex workers gathered around the world.
The 1975 occupation of the St. Nizier Church was born out of relentless police brutality, fines, arrests, and the state’s failure to investigate the murders of sex workers. In protest, around 150 sex workers took over the church for eight days, hanging a banner that read: “Our children don’t want their mothers in prison.” They went on strike, demanding an end to police harassment and fines, and the release of ten recently imprisoned women.
This bold stand ignited the sex worker rights movement in France, and across Europe. Their chants for safety and labour rights still echo today, amplified by the recent online sex work ban in Sweden. The threat of criminalisation remains real and immediate.
To the Streets
To honour this legacy, we gathered in Amsterdam’s Red Light District, remembering those who came before us and standing with those who lead us now. Together, we marched and laid flowers at sex worker statue Belle. In front of the historic Oude Kerk, speeches and shared stories laid bare our intersecting battles, like migration rights, reproductive freedom, and bodily autonomy. Freek Wallagh, the city’s Night Mayor, expressed deep appreciation for the role sex workers have played in shaping Amsterdam’s cultural identity, even sharing his personal family ties to the profession.
The Peep Show Hoes performed their Sex Workers Who Changed History fashion show - a joyful, defiant parade featuring trailblazers past and present. Spectators lined up, drawn by the energy of chanting and dancing, as our living history spilled into the streets. Surrounded by signs of gentrification, the gradual erasure of Red Light windows, and the presence of an unexpected and unnecessary police force, we felt the courage it still takes to simply be visible.
Care and Connection
At the PIC, a warm, intimate setting had been prepared just for us. Draped in rich fabrics and adorned with sex worker art, including a backdrop of the St. Nizier church, the space became a sanctuary. We shared pizza and laid together among piles of pillows. We laughed, absorbed the performances, and rested. Most importantly, we reconnected with each other, our creativity, and our collective power.
Media Takeover
On the same day, ESWA aired Whore TV, a 24-hour livestream of sex worker-led actions across Europe. From Amsterdam to Ukraine, ESWA broadcast marches, debates, art-making, and legislative advocacy to a global audience, keeping the spirit of protest alive. ESWA also released another horrific report, Police Violence Against Sex Workers in Europe (soon to be published in Dutch), exposing ongoing police brutality and renewing the call for safety, justice, and systemic change.
Across languages and borders, one message rang clear: We shall resist the Nordic model and fight for the full decriminalisation of sex work. Fifty years after the St. Nizier occupation, our demands remain urgent and unchanged. The world has shifted in many ways over the past five decades, but our resilience has never wavered, and neither has our resolve.
