Topless Ukraine protester tries to attack Euro 2012 trophy

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A topless Ukrainian protester was detained by police after attacking the European Championship trophy while it was on public display in Kiev on Saturday.

Security tries to stop a female protester as she grabs the European Championship trophy
Security tries to stop a female protester as she grabs the European Championship trophy

Photo: Getty Images

The woman, 23-year-old Yulia Kovpachik, strode up to the silverware that was displayed in the city's Independence square, before pulling down her red T-shirt to reveal the words "F**k Euro 2012" scrawled on her torso.

As she grabbed hold of the cup with both hands, security guards grabbed the woman before covering her with a sheet and taking her off to a waiting police car.

Organisers said the Henri Delaunay cup was undamaged though Kovpachik appeared to topple back under its weight as security guards seized her.

Kovpachik is believed to have been protesting for FEMEN, a Kiev-based women's rights group who are known for their bare-chested public protests in the eastern-European nation.

FEMEN believes the Euro 2012, which Ukraine is co-hosting with Poland next month, will be a magnet for sex tourists and will feed a booming sex industry.

Ukraine, like many other Eastern European nations, has seen a surge in illegal activities such as prostitution and human trafficking after the collapse of the Soviet Union and the subsequent economic crisis of the 1990s.


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