Topless feminist protesters arrested in Le Pen stronghold

Topless activists from the feminist group FEMEN were arrested Sunday morning in Henin-Beaumont after staging a protest against the far-right presidential candidate Marine Le Pen as voting got underway in the second round of the presidential election.

Five women scaled the scaffolding of a church in the far-right party’s stronghold to display a large banner that read “Marine in power, Marianne in despair”, the latter name being a reference to the French national symbol of liberty.

Le Pen’s party won power in Henin-Beaumont three years ago and it is one of only about a dozen municipalities – out of 36,000 nationwide – controlled by the far-right party and its affiliates.

Le Pen is facing competition from centrist candidate Emmanuel Macron who is widely tipped to win the second round of the presidential election.