Using an already assembled crowd is a smart tactic from these “sextremists” and the idea of Femen using the Tour De France (which they say is focused on men) to turn the attention to important matters facing women is theoretically powerful.

The activists stripped down to flesh-coloured panties with slogans painted on the rest of their naked bodies.

While the public protest definitely attracted a lot of attention, their motivation for protesting – the shockingly high incidence of Female Genital Mutilation in Britain over the summer holidays – was not very clear and the message was somewhat lost in the theatrics of their over-dramatised battle against the police (who were reported to be calm and almost disinterested).

The Femen were arrested removed by police within half an hour and the Tour De France continued.

Time and place are vital marketing strategies, but so is having a clear message. More info at Vice