French activists unfurl banner against Le Pen on Eiffel Tower

Activists from the environmental group Greenpeace on Friday unfurled a banner against French presidential candidate Marine Le Pen on the iconic Eiffel Tower.

The message on the banner included the French republican slogan "liberty, equality, fraternity" and the word "resist" with a hashtag, which is widely used on social media by opponents of the far-right candidate.

The banner, 30 meters in width and 10 meters in length, was hung early Friday morning between two pillars of the famous French monument.

The unauthorised action came on the last day of campaigning for the French presidential election.

The aim of this action is to "warn against the project of Le Pen and the risks that it represents for the associations and beyond," said Jean-Francois Julliard, head of the French branch of Greenpeace.

"Greenpeace is concerned about the resurgence of nationalism and the risk of restricting freedom of association. It is our mission to oppose it," he added.

The Paris police department reacted shortly after the incident, saying that it revealed "dysfunctions in the security system of the monument," while France is still in a "state of emergency" due to lingering security threats.

A meeting was called Friday morning to analyze the case and determine who's responsible for it, the police department said in a press release.

Twelve persons suspected of being involved have since been held in custody, the police added.

The city council of Paris also issued a statement following the incident, saying that "a monument like the Eiffel Tower, the emblem of Paris" was used for "political purposes," and questioned the security system put in place around the monument.

The city also condemns the "illegal action" of Greenpeace although it shares "a number of causes" defended by the group, according to the statement.

Le Pen is to face off with centrist candidate and former minister of economy Emmanuel Macron in a decisive second round of the election on May 7. Endit