Topless, screaming protester crashes red carpet at Cannes Film Festival

A topless woman with the Ukrainian flag sprayed across her chest was filmed screaming on the red carpet of the world’s leading film festival.

A topless woman protesting sexual violence in Ukraine has crashed the red carpet premiere of the film Three Thousand Years of Longing at the Cannes Film Festival.

Wearing only underwear drenched with blood-red paint, the screaming woman had the Ukrainian flag sprayed across her chest with the words “Stop raping us”, NY Post reports.

The word “scum” was also written on her lower back.

Video posted to Twitter shows security personnel covering up the woman and escorting her off the carpet.

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

The gatecrasher’s protest comes amid the ongoing attack on Ukraine by Russia, which invaded the country in late February.

A protester has appeared on the red carpet during the Three Thousand Years Of Longing premiere at Cannes Film Festival. Picture: Pascal Le Segretain/Getty Images

The woman had the words “stop raping us” painted across the Ukrainian flag on her front. Picture: Pascal Le Segretain/Getty Images

This week, Ukrainian authorities identified a Russian soldier they suspected of committing war crimes, including alleged involvement in the gang rape of a young girl during the occupation of a village outside Kyiv.

It’s far from the first reported incident of rape: Numerous allegations of rape have been raised in the months since the war started.

Security covered the protester and removed her from the red carpet. Picture: Andreas Rentz/Getty Images

The stars of the film reportedly walked the carpet after the protester was removed. Picture: Andreas Rentz/Getty Images

The film is George Miller’s first directorial endeavour since Mad Max: Fury Road in 2015.

Starring Tilda Swinton and Idris Elba, the movie tells the story of a scholar meeting a magician in a hotel room where she discovers his fantastical past while getting to make three wishes of her own.

Miller, Swinton and Elba walked the red carpet after the protester was already removed, Variety reported.

This article originally appeared on New York Post and was reproduced with permission.

Originally published as Topless, screaming protester crashes red carpet at Cannes Film Festival