The president of the European Central Bank was left cowering behind his bodyguard after being sprinkled with confetti by a female protester . A flabbergasted Mario Draghi held his hands up for protection when the demonstrator leapt on to the podium and began throwing paper at him during a press conference . The woman - who identified herself later as Josephine Witt - yelled 'End the ECB dictatorship ! ' before being bundled off by two heavyset guards , while a third threw himself in front of Mr Draghi . The protester flashed a V-for-victory sign and smiled as the two men in grey suits carried her away by her arms and legs while the ECB boss was taken into a side room . Flabbergasted : Ex-Femen activist Josephine Witt throws confetti at European Central Bank President Mario Draghi during a press conference in Frankfurt , Germany . Taken by surprise : Mr Draghi held his hands up for protection when the demonstrator leapt on to the podium and began throwing paper at him . Police said the woman was 21 and from Hamburg . Miss Witt said she was formerly associated with Feminist activist group Femen . But the organisation , known for topless protests against what it sees as male 'economic , cultural and ideological occupation ' , claimed responsibility for the demonstration . Mr Draghi returned minutes later looking a little shaken but resumed his press conference , earning a small round of applause from the press corps at the end for his composure . ECB news conferences are usually sombre affairs , attended by reporters concerned with technical matters such as quantitative easing and asset-backed securities . Taken down : The woman yelled 'End the ECB dictatorship ! ' before being bundled off by two heavyset guards , while a third threw himself in front of Mr Draghi . Defiant : Police , who took her into custody after the incident in Frankfurt , said she was 21 and from Hamburg . 'The rest of the press conference could hardly match the excitement of the first minutes , ' investment bank ING said of Wednesday 's event . # Draghi became a trending hashtag on Twitter - a rare event for a central banker . An ECB spokesman said the bank was investigating the incident . Some left-wing activists accuse the ECB of enforcing budget austerity measures on eurozone countries , such as Greece , that are under financial bailout programs . It has also been accused of having too few women in top positions . As attention returned to ECB policy , Mr Draghi said the bank intends to pursue its existing bond-buying stimulus program 'until the end of September 2016 and , in any case , until we see a sustained adjustment in the path of inflation . ' Feminist activist group Femen , known for topless protests against what it sees as male 'economic , cultural and ideological occupation ' , claimed responsibility for the stunt . The protester flashes a V-for-victory sign and smiled as the two men in grey suits carried her away by her arms and legs while Draghi was taken into a side room . Inflation at minus 0.1 per cent is way below the ECB 's aim of 2 per cent . There was some speculation that because of a recent improvement in the economy of the 19-country eurozone , the ECB might end its stimulus program before that date . In his statement , Mr Draghi noted that the ECB would look beyond month-by-month swings in economic data when assessing how long to carry on with the stimulus . The stimulus hopes to lower market interest rates , which tends to boost lending and , by extension , economic activity . The U.S. Federal Reserve has used a similar program . Mr Draghi said the stimulus program is proceeding smoothly and has helped lower market interest rates .
Flabbergasted Mario Draghi covers face as woman throws paper at him . ING bundled off by two bodyguards , while third shields ECB boss . She flashes V-for-victory sign as men carry her away by arms and legs . Ex-Femen activist Josephine Witt , 21 , identified herself as demostrator .