French Elections: Topless Femen protester storms Front National stage and gets within a few feet of Marine Le Pen

The unnamed protester says she was dragged off stage and beaten by security staff

A female protester who stormed on stage and and bared her breasts during a speech by Marine Le Pen, has claimed that she was violently assaulted by members of the far right French presidential candidate's security team.

Carrying a bunch of flowers, the Femen protester ran up to the Front National national leader as she was speaking in Paris, before unzipping her hooded top.

She was quickly tackled by the security team, who dragged her by her hands and legs from the stage. Ms Le Pen was unharmed in the incident.

A statement from the unnamed protester was later posted on the group’s Twitter account. She alleged that she was hit in the head and the side while she was on the ground and then taken backstage where she was struck in the face.

“I was taken backstage and a member of the security service hit me in the face," she said. "He then put me on flat on my stomach and tied my hands with rope.

“After that, a group of about fifteen people arrived they took my papers (ID) and took photos of my chest while calling me a whore”.

She said she then asked for the police to be called so they gave her identification back and threw her out of the venue.

Femen is a controversial group of feminist protesters which began in Ukraine but now has branches all over the world. They protest against sexism, homophobia and other political issues by charging topless at their targets.

The group say they go bare breasted to “fight patriarchy in its three manifestations – sexual exploitation of women, dictatorship and religion”.

A Femen protester in the US picketed the New York polling station where Donald Trump cast his vote on election day in November.

At the Paris rally, Ms Le Pen promised to protect voters from “savage globalisation” just six days out from the first round poll on Sunday.

Speaking to a crowd of approximately 5,000 people she reiterated her key anti-immigration, anti-EU pledges.

She said: "I will protect you. My first measure as president will be to reinstate France's borders.

"The choice on Sunday is simple. It is a choice between a France that is rising again and a France that is sinking."

Opinion polls have shown Ms Le Pen and centrist candidate Emmanuel Macron making it into the second round – which is due to take place on 7th May.

But the polls have been tightening in the last days of the campaign as Republicans candidate Francois Fillon begins to recover from earlier scandals and far-left candidate Jean-Luc Melenchon benefits from doing surprisingly well in the debates.

The Independent has contacted the Front National for comment but none had arrived at the time of publication.