'Stop raping us': Topless woman storms Cannes red carpet to protest against sexual violence in Ukraine

Paris, May 21: A semi-naked lady protestor had to be removed from the Cannes red carpet on Friday after she protested against sexual violence against women in Ukraine. Her body was painted in the colours of the Ukrainian flag with the words "Stop Raping Us".

Wearing underpants stained red, the demonstrator shouted and posed for photographers before being led off by security guards.

As per reports by the media outlets, the woman stripped off all of her clothes as she fell to her knees screaming in front of the assembled photographers, as per eyewitnesses. Security guards were seen rushing over to her and covering her with a coat. The stunt briefly interrupted the parade of guests in evening wear, including Tilda Swinton and Idris Elba

She had put paint over her body in the colours of the Ukrainian flag and the words 'Stop Raping Us' across her chest and abdomen. The woman also appeared to have blood-red paint over her lower back and legs with the word 'SCUM' written on her back. The incident happened on the red carpet at the premiere of George Miller's 'Three Thousand Years Of Longing', starring Idris Elba and Tilda Swinton.

On the Cannes red carpet for George Miller’s new movie, the woman in front of me stripped off all her clothes (covered in body paint) and fell to her knees screaming in front of photographers. Cannes authorities rushed over, covered her in a coat, & blocked my camera from filming pic.twitter.com/JFdWlwVMEw

— Kyle Buchanan (@kylebuchanan) May 20, 2022

Since the beginning of Russia's millitary operation in Ukraine, there have been numerous reports of Russian soldiers raping Ukrainian civilians. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said last month investigators had received reports of "hundreds of cases of rape" in areas previously occupied by Russian troops, including sexual assaults of small children.