The woman with the handbag, 1985

The woman with the handbag, 1985

This picture, which was taken in Växjö, Sweden, shows 38-year-old Danuta Danielsson smashing her handbag into the head of a neo-fascist rally member. Danielsson was of Jewish and Polish heritage, and her mother survived being held captive in a concentration camp. Danielsson chose to be anonymous after the picture as she feared she would be the target of other neo-fascists. She was known to have suffered from mental health problems and took her own life in 1988 by jumping off the town's water tower. The man Danielsson hit is Seppo Seluska, a neo-fascist who went on a few years later to torture and murder a gay jew. Seluska was with a small group of neo-fascists, who were protesting on the streets after a local communist politician gave a speech. This led to a clash between the communists and the fascists, in which other people on the street who were not involved with either group sided with the communists to fight the fascists. In 2014, Danielsson's identity was released, and a statue was unveiled to honor her courage against the face of hate. Photographer: Hans Runesson Source: BBC