Topless Femen protesters 'kicked during scuffles' at Muslim conference about women
Footage of the incident appears to show a man then kicking the protester on the ground
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Two topless feminist protesters from Femen have stormed the stage of a conference discussing women in Islam.
A video of the incident appears to show one of the activists being kicked by a man as she is hauled off stage at the event in France.
The two women are from the Femen activist group, whose members are known for protesting topless with writing across their chest.
The pair ran onto the stage as two imams were addressing the conference, before removing their clothes and grabbing the microphone.
The so-far unnamed women are believed to be aged 25 and 31. The slogans written across their chest translate to “I am my own prophet” and “Nobody submits me”.
Footage shows a group of men running on stage to carry the women off stage. The clip then shows one man in a white t-shirt appearing to kick the protester while she is on the ground.
Watch the video below:
The group alleged on Twitter that the “activists were brutally removed from the wings”.
According to Inna Shevchenko a spokesperson for the Ukranian-born feminist group, the imams were discussing the beating of women.
The Telegraph reported that Ms Schevchenko added that the women were arrested but released after questioning.
Conference organisers took to Facebook to rally support for the remainder of the conference, which was held in Pontoise, near Paris. They added that the activists were “victims of anti-Muslim onslaught from the media”.
Prior to the event, a petition against the conference going ahead reportedly gathered almost 6,000 signatures.
Femen’s previous protests include disrupting a Spanish parliament hearing on abortion reforms and protesting against the far-right National Front’s May Day speech in France with mock Nazi salutes.
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