Police go to stop her as she lunges (Picture: Reuters)

A topless woman tried to steal Baby Jesus out of the manger in the Vatican in a protest against the patriarchy.

The leftfield move was staged by an activist from Femen (previously famous for their topless protests supporting Pussy Riot).

She jumped over guard rails to get to the nativity scene in St Peter’s Square on Monday, shouting ‘God is woman’ – the same slogan she had painted on her back.

However, she was stopped by police as she grabbed the statue.


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She had the slogan ‘GOD IS WOMAN’ painted on her back (Picture: Reuters)

She didn’t get away with Jesus (Picture: Reuters)

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A Vatican gendarme stopped her from taking the statue and she was detained. The incident happened about two hours before Pope Francis delivered his Christmas message to some 50,000 people in the square.

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The group’s website identified her as Alisa Vinogradova and called her a ‘sextremist’. It says the goal of the group, which was founded in Ukraine, is ‘complete victory over patriarchy’.



A Femen activist staged a similar action on Christmas Day 2014 but managed to take the statue out of the crib before she was arrested.

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