Latest news with #GrevinMuseum
Yahoo
14 hours ago
- Politics
- Yahoo
Greenpeace activists charged with theft of Macron waxwork
Two Greenpeace activists who removed French President Emmanuel Macron's waxwork from a Paris museum to stage anti-Russia protests were on Thursday charged with aggravated theft, their lawyer said. The pair have now been released, but their lawyer, Marie Dose, said the activists, a man and a woman, spent three nights in a cell in "absolutely appalling conditions". "I found out this morning that I was going to be charged," one of the charged activists, who did not wish to be named, told AFP. "I find it a bit much, all this for exercising my freedom of expression in France." On Monday, several activists stole a 40,000-euro statue of Macron from the Grevin Museum and placed it in front of the Russian embassy. On Tuesday they placed Macron's double outside the headquarters of French electricity giant EDF to protest France's economic ties with Russia. They stood the statue on its feet and put next to it a sign reading "Putin-Macron radioactive allies". The waxwork, estimated to be worth 40,000 euros ($45,500), was handed over to police on Tuesday night. The pair were detained on Monday. On Thursday they were brought before an investigating judge and charged as part of a judicial inquiry into "the theft of a cultural object on display", the Paris prosecutor's office told AFP. Jean-Francois Julliard, head of Greenpeace France, said that the detained pair were people who drove a truck during the protest in front of the Russian embassy, and not those who "borrowed" the statue from the museum. - 'Tool to deter activists' - The activists' lawyer condemned authorities for detaining and later charging them. "I don't understand this decision to open a judicial investigation, as the Grevin Museum clearly stated that there was no damage," said Dose. "Increasingly, the justice system is becoming a tool to deter activists from exercising their freedom of expression and opinion," she added. The Grevin Museum filed a complaint on Monday but subsequently took the matter in good humour. "The figures can only be viewed on site," it said on its Instagram feed. Speaking earlier, Dose denounced the detention as "completely disproportionate", saying they had spent three nights in a cell. The lawyer condemned the "deplorable" conditions in which the two activists were being held, "attached to benches for hours and dragged from police station to police station". One activist spent the night without a blanket and was unable to lie down because her cell was too small, the lawyer said. "The other had to sleep on the floor because there were too many people in the cell," she added. The lawyer argued that "no harm resulted from the non-violent action", insisting that "all offences" ceased to exist once the statue has been returned to the museum. The activists managed to slip out through an emergency exit of the museum by posing as maintenance workers. France has been one of the most vocal supporters of Kyiv since Russia invaded Ukraine in February 2022. Macron has taken the lead in seeking to forge a coordinated European response to defending Ukraine, after US President Donald Trump shocked the world by directly negotiating with Russia. But Greenpeace and other activists say that French companies continue to do business with Moscow despite multiple rounds of sanctions slapped against Russia after the start of the invasion. gd-nal-abe-jul-as/sjw/giv
France 24
15 hours ago
- Politics
- France 24
Greenpeace activists charged with theft of Macron waxwork
The pair have now been released, but their lawyer, Marie Dose, said the activists, a man and a woman, spent three nights in a cell in "absolutely appalling conditions". "I found out this morning that I was going to be charged," one of the charged activists, who did not wish to be named, told AFP. "I find it a bit much, all this for exercising my freedom of expression in France." On Monday, several activists stole a 40,000-euro statue of Macron from the Grevin Museum and placed it in front of the Russian embassy. On Tuesday they placed Macron's double outside the headquarters of French electricity giant EDF to protest France's economic ties with Russia. They stood the statue on its feet and put next to it a sign reading "Putin-Macron radioactive allies". The waxwork, estimated to be worth 40,000 euros ($45,500), was handed over to police on Tuesday night. The pair were detained on Monday. On Thursday they were brought before an investigating judge and charged as part of a judicial inquiry into "the theft of a cultural object on display", the Paris prosecutor's office told AFP. Jean-Francois Julliard, head of Greenpeace France, said that the detained pair were people who drove a truck during the protest in front of the Russian embassy, and not those who "borrowed" the statue from the museum. - 'Tool to deter activists' - The activists' lawyer condemned authorities for detaining and later charging them. "I don't understand this decision to open a judicial investigation, as the Grevin Museum clearly stated that there was no damage," said Dose. "Increasingly, the justice system is becoming a tool to deter activists from exercising their freedom of expression and opinion," she added. The Grevin Museum filed a complaint on Monday but subsequently took the matter in good humour. "The figures can only be viewed on site," it said on its Instagram feed. Speaking earlier, Dose denounced the detention as "completely disproportionate", saying they had spent three nights in a cell. The lawyer condemned the "deplorable" conditions in which the two activists were being held, "attached to benches for hours and dragged from police station to police station". One activist spent the night without a blanket and was unable to lie down because her cell was too small, the lawyer said. "The other had to sleep on the floor because there were too many people in the cell," she added. The lawyer argued that "no harm resulted from the non-violent action", insisting that "all offences" ceased to exist once the statue has been returned to the museum. The activists managed to slip out through an emergency exit of the museum by posing as maintenance workers. France has been one of the most vocal supporters of Kyiv since Russia invaded Ukraine in February 2022. Macron has taken the lead in seeking to forge a coordinated European response to defending Ukraine, after US President Donald Trump shocked the world by directly negotiating with Russia. But Greenpeace and other activists say that French companies continue to do business with Moscow despite multiple rounds of sanctions slapped against Russia after the start of the invasion. © 2025 AFP
Arab News
19 hours ago
- Business
- Arab News
Detained Greenpeace activists to face judge over Macron waxwork
PARIS: Two Greenpeace activists who stole French President Emmanuel Macron's waxwork from a Paris museum to stage anti-Russia protests have been detained and were set to appear before an investigating judge on Thursday, their lawyer and prosecutors Monday, several activists stole a 40,000-euro statue of Macron from the Grevin Museum and placed it in front of the Russian embassy and later outside the headquarters of French electricity giant EDF to protest France's economic ties with statue, estimated to be worth 40,000 euros ($45,500), was returned to police on Tuesday night but two activists, a man and a woman, were detained on Monday, their lawyer Marie Dose Julliard, head of Greenpeace France, said that the detained pair were people who drove a truck during the protest in front of the Russian embassy, and not those who 'borrowed' the statue from the museum.'They have spent three nights in a cell,' said Dose, denouncing the detention as 'completely disproportionate.'The lawyer denounced the 'deplorable' conditions in which the two activists were being held, 'attached to benches for hours and dragged from police station to police station.'One activist spent the night without a blanket and was unable to lie down because her cell was too small, the lawyer said.'The other had to sleep on the floor because there were too many people in the cell,' she added.'This treatment is worrying for Greenpeace activists and raises the question of a dangerous shift in the criminal response to acts of civil disobedience,' she pair will appear before an investigating magistrate on Thursday as part of a judicial inquiry into the 'theft of a cultural object on display,' the Paris prosecutor's office told judge will decide whether to charge lawyer argued that 'no harm resulted from the non-violent action,' arguing that 'all offenses' ceased to exist once the statue has been returned to the Grevin Museum filed a complaint on Monday but subsequently took the matter in good humor. 'The figures can only be viewed on site,' it said on its Instagram activists managed to slip out through an emergency exit of the museum by posing as maintenance workers.
Asharq Al-Awsat
2 days ago
- Business
- Asharq Al-Awsat
Activists Return Macron Waxwork Stolen from Paris Museum
Greenpeace activists overnight Tuesday to Wednesday returned a wax figure of President Emmanuel Macron they had stolen from a Paris museum as part of a protest against French economic ties with Russia in the wake of the invasion of Ukraine. After taking the waxwork from the Grevin Museum in a carefully planned heist on Monday the campaigners had placed it outside the Russian embassy in a symbolic protest. Carrying on the action late on Tuesday, they placed the waxwork, estimated to be worth 40,000 euros ($45,500), in a chest and put it outside the headquarters of French electricity giant EDF. They also put the statue on its feet and stood next to it a sign with a slogan denouncing Macron for not completely cutting ties with Russia under Vladimir Putin, in particular in the energy sphere. "Putin-Macron radioactive allies," it said. Police then arrived and secured the chest and waxwork ahead of its return to the Grevin Museum, the Paris equivalent of Madame Tussauds in London. "We came to bring back the statue of Emmanuel Macron because, as we said from the start, we had just borrowed it," Jean-Francois Julliard, executive director of Greenpeace France, told AFP at the scene. "We notified both the management of the Grevin Museum and the police. It's up to them to come and retrieve it," he said. The choice of the EDF headquarters was "to make Macron face up to his responsibilities concerning the trade that is maintained with Russia, particularly in the nuclear sector," he added. According to Julliard, French companies can still, despite the sanctions regime in place since the invasion, "import a whole host of products from Russia" including enriched uranium to power French nuclear power plants, natural uranium transiting through Kazakhstan and Uzbekistan via Russia, LNG and chemical fertilizers. He said Greenpeace particularly criticized the surge in Russian fertilizer imports into the EU, which rose some 80 percent between 2021 and 2023 according to French fertilizer manufacturers. According to a police source, two women and a man on Monday entered the Grevin Museum posing as tourists and, once inside, changed their clothes to pass for workers. The activists slipped out through an emergency exit with the waxwork. A museum spokeswoman acknowledged that "they had clearly done their research very thoroughly".
NDTV
2 days ago
- Business
- NDTV
French President Macron's Waxwork, Stolen From Museum During Protest, Returned
Greenpeace activists overnight Tuesday to Wednesday returned a wax figure of President Emmanuel Macron they had stolen from a Paris museum as part of a protest against French economic ties with Russia in the wake of the invasion of Ukraine. After taking the waxwork from the Grevin Museum in a carefully planned heist on Monday the campaigners had placed it outside the Russian embassy in a symbolic protest. Carrying on the action late on Tuesday, they placed the waxwork, estimated to be worth 40,000 euros ($45,500), in a chest and put it outside the headquarters of French electricity giant EDF. They also put the statue on its feet and stood next to it a sign with a slogan denouncing French President Emmanuel Macron for not completely cutting ties with Russia under Vladimir Putin, in particular in the energy sphere. "Putin-Macron radioactive allies," it said. Police then arrived and secured the chest and waxwork ahead of its return to the Grevin Museum, the Paris equivalent of Madame Tussauds in London. "We came to bring back the statue of Emmanuel Macron because, as we said from the start, we had just borrowed it," Jean-Francois Julliard, executive director of Greenpeace France, told AFP at the scene. "We notified both the management of the Grevin Museum and the police. It's up to them to come and retrieve it," he said. The choice of the EDF headquarters was "to make Macron face up to his responsibilities concerning the trade that is maintained with Russia, particularly in the nuclear sector," he added. According to Julliard, French companies can still, despite the sanctions regime in place since the invasion, "import a whole host of products from Russia" including enriched uranium to power French nuclear power plants, natural uranium transiting through Kazakhstan and Uzbekistan via Russia, LNG and chemical fertilisers. He said Greenpeace particularly criticised the surge in Russian fertiliser imports into the EU, which rose some 80 percent between 2021 and 2023 according to French fertiliser manufacturers. According to a police source, two women and a man on Monday entered the Grevin Museum posing as tourists and, once inside, changed their clothes to pass for workers. The activists slipped out through an emergency exit with the waxwork. A museum spokeswoman acknowledged that "they had clearly done their research very thoroughly".
