Femen protest at Paris’ Moulin Rouge nightclub on 125th anniversary

Two members of the Femen feminist movement staged a bare-breasted protest on the roof of the Moulin Rouge cabaret in Paris on Monday as the home of the can-can celebrated its 125th birthday.

The women climbed on to the roof of the Parisian landmark and unfurled a red banner over the word "Rouge" of the famous neon sign which bore the slogan "Red is the colour of the revolution".

Despite pouring rain, the two women then removed their tops to reveal the words "not for sale" daubed on their chests, as tourists in the Pigalle district looked on.

The women were eventually removed from the roof by two security guards.

Femen said in a statement that it wanted to "tell the world that red-light districts must no longer be the scene of odious entertainment in which women continue to be placed in submission and exploited".

The Moulin Rouge attracts 600,000 guests a year and generates an annual turnover of 65 million euros ($81 million) with a time-honoured cabaret featuring scantily-clad dancers.