Cannes: Sand Van Roy makes red carpet statement on violence against women

Dutch actor Sand Van Roy walked the Cannes red carpet with a protest statement- a large temporary tattoo on her back seeking an end to violence against women.

The 29-year-old 'Valerian and the City of a Thousand Planets' actress, sued French director Luc Besson for rape in 2018 stepped in front of cameras for an event honouring French actor Alain Delon on Sunday, the Deadline reported.

The black tattoo on her back read "Stop Violence against Women" and was accompanied with the #MeToo symbol.

The rape suit against Besson was eventually dropped by the prosecutors.

This year the festival faced criticism for its decision to award Delon an honorary Palme d'Or after he previously talked about slapping women, opposing adoption for same-sex couples and showing support for politician Jean-Marie Le Pen.

Cannes chief Thierry Fremaux recently defended the festival's decision to present Delon the award saying, "We are not going to give Alain Delon the Nobel Peace Prize. We're giving him a Palme d'Or for his career as an actor." The iconic French actor also received a standing ovation at an 'in conversation' event on Sunday morning.

Saturday saw another protest at the film festival when 60 women and activists gathered at the Palais to show support for womens' rights. The red carpet saw dozens of pro-choice women campaigners conducting demonstrations ahead of the premiere of Argentine filmmaker Juan Solanas' abortion documentary Let It Be Law (Que Sea Ley).