text: 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.
target: Flabbergasted Mario Draghi covers face as woman throws paper at him .
  Protester 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 .