Femen activist reportedly held on to statue’s crotch shouting ‘grab patriarchy by the balls’

This article is more than 3 years old

This article is more than 3 years old

A topless activist from the feminist group Femen attacked a lifesize statue of Donald Trump during an unveiling ceremony at a waxwork museum in Madrid.

The woman reportedly pushed past security ropes and placed her hand on the statue’s crotch while screaming “grab patriarchy by the balls”.

Museum staff spent several minutes trying to restrain the woman before eventually bundling her out through a back door.

The activist group claimed responsibility for the protest on Twitter, saying: “Femen just grabbed Trump’s statue by the balls in Madrid.”

In a recording leaked in October, Trump spoke of grabbing women “by the pussy”.

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Gonzalo Presa, head of communications at the museum, called the protest “unpleasant” and said he had hoped to give Trump a “special welcome” from Madrid.

“If they want to do this they should do it directly to him. This is too easy,” he said.

Artists had spent more than three days creating the wax figure, paying close attention to the colour and style of its hair, Presa said.

Femen, an international group that began in Ukraine, is known for using nudity in protests over women’s rights.