Greenpeace activists steal Macron wax figure for anti-Moscow protest

RTÉ News​

2 days ago

Greenpeace activists have stolen a wax figure of French President Emmanuel Macron from a Paris museum and placed it in front of the Russian embassy as part of a protest against French economic ties with Moscow in the wake of the invasion of Ukraine.
According to a police source, two women and a man entered the Grevin Museum posing as tourists but changed their clothes to pass for workers once they were inside.
They slipped out through an emergency exit with the wax work, estimated to be worth €40,000, which they had covered up.
The museum said that the activists had called to promise that the statue would be returned "unharmed".
"They had clearly done their research very thoroughly," a museum spokeswoman told AFP.
According to the spokeswoman, the activists distracted a security guard by asking a question about a disabled access lift, while some of them donned maintenance coats.
After making away with the Macron wax figure, they placed it in front of the Russian embassy in a protest against the economic ties between France and Russia in the gas, chemical fertilizer and nuclear sectors.
The action in front of the embassy lasted only a few minutes.
The activists unfurled a Russian flag behind the Macron statue, while one man held up a yellow placard reading "Business is business".
The activists also threw fake banknotes around.
"For us, France is playing a double game," said Jean-Francois Julliard, head of Greenpeace France.
"Emmanuel Macron embodies this double discourse: he supports Ukraine but encourages French companies to continue trading with Russia."
He said Greenpeace targeted Mr Macron because he had a particular responsibility, adding that the French president "should be the first" among European leaders to end trade contracts with Russia.
France has been one of the most vocal supporters of Kyiv since Russia invaded Ukraine in February 2022.
Mr Macron has taken the lead in seeking to forge a coordinated European response to defend Ukraine, after US President Donald Trump shocked the world by directly negotiating with Russia.