Red Carpet Protest At Suffragette Premiere

Feminist protesters jumped barriers as stars walked the red carpet for the London premiere of the film Suffragette.

Groups of women lay down just a few feet from where the likes of Carey Mulligan and Helena Bonham Carter were giving interviews.

The activists from the Sisters Uncut group wore tops with posters saying "Dead women can't vote" and "Two women killed every week".

Others held banners with the words "50/50 Parliament", demanding equality in the British Government.

Mulligan told Sky News she welcomed the protest - and that she believes the movie industry is "inherently sexist".

Speaking about the activists, the British star said: "It's so great, that's so exciting. People have asked us would you protest now, would you throw a rock?

"And I keep thinking I wish I could. I would like to be as brave as that. For these women to do that tonight, I think it's awesome."

She said: "I think our (film) industry is a microcosm of the world in general. So our society is inherently sexist and so our industry is but all major industry is."

The scenes in Leicester Square mirrored those in the period drama, which tells the story of the British women's equality movement of the late 19th and early 20th century.

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Bonham Carter said of the activists: "I'm glad our film's done something, that's exactly what it's there for.

"If you feel strongly enough about something and there's an injustice there, then you can speak out and try and get something changed. It's the perfect response to our film."

Fellow star Meryl Streep, who plays British suffragette leader Emmeline Pankhurst, has previously said it is "infuriating" that the film industry is male-dominated.

She said: "It is infuriating because people accept it as received wisdom ... It isn't fair. We need inclusion."

There has been criticism after the stars, along with Romola Garai, wore promotional T-shirts for the film saying "I'd rather be a rebel than a slave".

The words were taken from a speech by Ms Pankhurst from 1913 demanding votes for women.

But critics complained the photoshoot for Time Out magazine ignored the historical context of the term "slave" and suggests that slavery was a choice.

Mulligan hit back, saying: "The intention behind the shoot was to reflect the film and how Emily Pankhurst originally intended that quote which was as a rallying cry and obviously not intended to cause any offence.

"It should be a conversation but I would never want that to overshadow the intention of the film which was intended to empower people and not to hurt anyone."

Suffragette opened the London Film Festival which runs from 7 to 18 October.