Latest news with #JeanFrancoisJulliard
Russia Today
3 days ago
- Politics
- Russia Today
‘Macron' stolen in Paris (VIDEOS)
Activists from the Greenpeace environmental pressure group have stolen a wax statue of President Emmanuel Macron from Paris's Grevin Museum and placed it outside the Russian embassy in a protest against what they claimed to be the French leader's insufficient support for Kiev. France has become one of Kiev's key backers since the escalation of the conflict in February 2022, as well as one of the primary proponents of the idea to deploy a military force into Ukraine – repeatedly floated by Macron. Paris also cut most economic ties and has consistently pushed for harsher sanctions against Moscow. However, Greenpeace France's executive director, Jean-François Julliard, nevertheless accused the French leader of 'playing a double game,' following the group's stunt on Monday. Three Greenpeace members entered the Grevin Museum posing as tourists on Monday morning, according to AFP sources. They then disguised themselves as staff, swiftly removed the €40,000 wax figure of Macron, and transported it to the Russian embassy in Paris's 16th arrondissement, all while filming the stunt on video. 📹 Ce matin, la statue d'Emmanuel Macron a été dérobée au musée Grévin 🤣🤣En toute décontraction, sous les yeux de tous, puis les activistes de Greenpeace l'ont déposée devant l'ambassade de vit vraiment dans une époque formidable. The protesters displayed the statue alongside banners criticizing France's ongoing imports of Russian liquefied natural gas and fertilizers. The eco-activists claimed in a statement that they had 'borrowed' the statue temporarily and indicated plans to return it, but did not specify when. Des militants de Greenpeace ont volé la statue de cire d'Emmanuel Macron au Musée Grévin et sont repartis en camion avec. Ce pays est vraiment un divertissement au quotidien.. 🙄Si seulement, ils avaient pu voler l'original plutôt. 😅😅 The Paris prosecutor's office told Politico that an investigation has been opened into 'theft to the detriment of the museum,' but no arrests have been reported. The Grevin Museum has not officially commented on the incident. Russia designated Greenpeace International as an 'undesirable organization' back in May 2023, citing the eco-activist group's record of pushing a political agenda and meddling in domestic affairs with the goal of causing economic damage.
The Sun
3 days ago
- General
- The Sun
Greenpeace activists swipe Emmanuel Macron waxwork from Paris's Grevin Museum before using it in anti-Russia protest
A WAX figure of French president Emmanuel Macron was yesterday stolen by Greenpeace activists — then used in an anti-Russia protest. The £35,000 depiction of the 47-year-old head of state has often been compared to a Thunderbird puppet, or a Ken and Barbie doll. 3 3 Two women and a man disguised as staff took the £35,000 model from Paris's Grevin Museum. They placed the figure in front of the Russian embassy, urging France to halt gas and fertiliser imports from Moscow. Greenpeace's Jean-Francois Julliard said: 'France is playing a double game. "Macron embodies this. He supports Ukraine but encourages French firms to continue trading with Russia.' When it was created in 2018, even museum staff admitted the Macron waxwork did not look much like Mr Macron. Grevin's director, Yves Delhommeau, said: 'A tense and anguished face, a frozen statue that doesn't live, this is not beautiful, it is something that just doesn't work.' Mr Delhommeau said President Macron did not meet with them in order to scan his face, so sculptors were forced to work with pictures of the 40-year-old. Others went online to ridicule the model, saying it was one of the worst depictions of a public figure ever made. The Grevin Museum is often compared to Madame Tussauds, the wax museum founded in London in 1835 by the French sculptor Marie Tussaud. Like the British version, Grevin displays the waxworks of numerous famous figures from around the world. Little Mix waxworks unveiled at Madame Tussauds Both museums are massive tourist attractions, with hundreds of thousands of visitors enjoying the waxworks every year. 3
Telegraph
4 days ago
- Business
- Telegraph
Macron waxwork stolen from Paris museum by Greenpeace activists
A wax figure of Emmanuel Macron was stolen from a Paris waxwork museum by several people claiming to be Greenpeace environmental activists. According to police sources, two women and a man entered the Grévin Museum, in central Paris and left through an emergency exit with the statue – worth €40,000, (£33,700) – hidden under a blanket. The activists then took the waxwork of the French president to the Russian embassy in Paris and placed it upright on the street in protest against France's economic ties with Russia. 'For us, France is playing a double game. Emmanuel Macron embodies this double discourse – he supports Ukraine but encourages French companies to continue trading with Russia,' said Jean-Francois Julliard, director general of Greenpeace France. 'We are targeting Emmanuel Macron specifically because he has a particular responsibility in this situation,' he added, saying that the president should be the first in European discussions to end trade agreements between Russia and European countries. France, along with Britain, has been at the forefront of attempts to forge a European 'coalition of the willing' to provide security guarantees to Ukraine and enable peace negotiations with Russia. However, in March Greenpeace France released a scathing report, accusing Paris of indirectly supporting Russia's war in Ukraine through continued trade in fossil fuels, fertilisers and nuclear materials. While Mr Macron has pledged billions of euros in aid to Ukraine and reaffirmed sanctions against Russia, Greenpeace claims that France remains a major importer of Russian liquefied natural gas, fertilisers and uranium. In 2024, France became the largest European importer of Russian liquefied natural gas, with imports increasing by 80 per cent compared with 2023, according to the report. These purchases amounted to €3.1 billion benefiting Russian companies despite declining domestic gas consumption, said Greenpeace. The report also underscored the EU's broader dependence on Russian fossil fuels, which have generated €206 billion in revenue for Moscow since the war began, exceeding financial aid provided to Ukraine. France's reliance on Russian chemical fertilisers further complicates its stance, Greenpeace says. Between 2021 and 2023, imports of Russian fertilisers surged by 86 per cent as domestic production faltered because of gas shortages. The NGO warns that these imports indirectly finance Russia's war effort through export taxes imposed by the Kremlin. In the nuclear sector, French collaboration with Russia's state-owned nuclear giant Rosatom remains intact despite the war. Greenpeace highlighted Rosatom's dual role as a civilian and military entity, accusing it of complicity in war crimes at Ukraine's Zaporizhzhia nuclear plant. Despite its strategic importance to Russia's regime, neither France nor the EU has sanctioned Rosatom. Greenpeace accused France of hiding behind Hungary's veto on sanctioning Rosatom while continuing lucrative contracts with the company.
News24
4 days ago
- General
- News24
Greenpeace steals Macron wax figure for anti-Russia protest
Greenpeace activists on Monday stole 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 pro-Ukraine protest. According to a police source, two women and a man 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 40 000-euro-statue, which they had covered with a blanket. The Greenpeace activists then placed the figure in front of the Russian embassy in a stunt meant to urge France to stop gas and fertiliser imports from Russia. 'For us, France is playing a double game,' said Jean-Francois Julliard, head of Greenpeace France. Thomas Samson/AFP 'Emmanuel Macron embodies this double discourse: he supports Ukraine but encourages French companies to continue trading with Russia.' Julliard said Greenpeace targeted 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. 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.
Al Arabiya
4 days ago
- General
- Al Arabiya
Greenpeace steals Macron wax figure for anti-Russia protest
Greenpeace activists on Monday stole 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 pro-Ukraine protest. According to a police source, two women and a man 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 40,000-euro-statue, which they had covered with a blanket. The Greenpeace activists then placed the figure in front of the Russian embassy in a stunt meant to urge France to stop gas and fertilizer imports from Russia. '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.' Julliard said Greenpeace targeted 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. 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.
