On March 8, 2025, International Women’s Day took a dramatic turn in Paris as hundreds of women gathered in the streets to protest what they described as rising fascist tendencies, spotlighting tech billionaire Elon Musk as a symbol of patriarchal overreach. In a striking act of defiance, many stripped off their clothing, baring their bodies in the chilly spring air, while raising their right arms in a Roman salute directed toward Musk—an ironic gesture, given its historical ties to fascism and Musk’s controversial public persona. The protesters, organized by a coalition of feminist groups, chanted slogans condemning Musk’s influence, wealth, and rumored personal life, accusing him of embodying a modern autocratic masculinity by allegedly impregnating numerous women across the globe, a claim fueled by tabloid speculation and his own cryptic social media posts about population growth.

The demonstration unfolded near the Place de la République, where the women’s nudity and salutes drew a mix of stunned onlookers, media frenzy, and swift police response. Organizers framed the Roman salute not as an endorsement of fascism but as a biting satire, flipping Musk’s own fascination with Roman history—often expressed in his musings about the Roman Empire—into a critique of his perceived dominance over women’s autonomy. Placards and chants referenced Musk’s reported fathering of multiple children with different partners, with some protesters alleging he was “colonizing wombs” in the same way he seeks to colonize Mars. The act of disrobing, they explained, symbolized shedding societal constraints imposed by figures like Musk, whose wealth and power amplify his personal choices into broader cultural flashpoints.
 

The protest sparked global debate, amplified by Musk’s own response on X later that day, where he dismissed the event as “performance art gone wrong” and denied the exaggerated claims about his personal life, quipping, “I’m flattered, but the math doesn’t add up.” Critics of the demonstration argued it undermined serious feminist discourse, while supporters hailed it as a bold reclamation of agency against a backdrop of growing authoritarianism. French authorities, wary of the salute’s fascist connotations, detained several participants for questioning, though no charges were immediately filed. As images of the topless saluters ricocheted across social media, the Paris protest underscored the volatile intersection of gender, power, and politics in 2025, with Musk—willingly or not—at its center.