Artist arrested after dancing with a chicken tied to his penis at the Eiffel Tower

Tourists at the Eiffel Tower in Paris had a shock on Tuesday when an artist dressed in a garter and tights emerged before them with a rooster tied to his penis with a ribbon.

At around 9.30am, South African artist Steven Cohen emerged from a car and joined the crowds at Place du Trocadero, under the shadow of the world-famous monument, for a spot of breakfast-time performance art. Dressed in a bird outfit, and shuffling over to a prominent spot on the public square, Cohen began dancing about, with a cock tied to his penis with a long ribbon.



Dressed in high-heeled platform shoes and wearing a garter, thigh-length tights, and long red gloves, and with long, wild feathers emanating from his head and hands, Cohen began “walking” the chicken up and down before crowds of tourists. “He danced with the cock for around ten minutes, before being arrested by the police,” his lawyer said. Perhaps inevitably, Cohen was held by Paris police on charges of indecent exposure, before being released later in the day.

His lawyer expressed her disgust with the duration of his arrest, saying: “It’s a disgrace. With this performance, Steven Cohen wanted to evoke his situation, split between two countries. South Africa, his native land, and France, where he lives at the moment,” she explained. “France is throwing artists in prison,” she added. Cohen was released after questioning on Tuesday evening and is due to appear in court on December 16th.