Womens in blood-red hoodies covered in silver paint evoked the French revolutionary icon on Champs-Elysees avenue on Saturday.

Their appearance was in stark contrast to the black and blue uniforms of gendarmes and police officers, and the yellow vests of hundreds of protesters around them.

Marianne, the Goddess of Liberty, is a national symbol of the French Republic which stands opposed to the monarchy and champions freedom and democracy.

She is depicted as an embodiment of liberty leading the people over the barricades in the iconic Eugene Delacroix’s painting.