In a bold and theatrical protest, Greenpeace activists stole a wax figure of French President Emmanuel Macron from the famed Grévin Museum in Paris and placed it in front of the Russian Embassy, demanding an end to French imports of Russian gas and fertilizer amid the ongoing war in Ukraine.
Police sources say the operation was carried out by two women and a man who posed as tourists to enter the museum. Once inside, the group changed into outfits resembling those of maintenance workers, allowing them to avoid suspicion.
The activists located the €40,000 life-size wax statue of President Macron, covered it with a blanket, and exited the museum through an emergency door before museum staff could react.
A short time later, the figure was discovered standing on the pavement outside the Russian Embassy, a symbolic gesture meant to criticize France’s continued economic ties with Russia. Greenpeace confirmed responsibility for the stunt, saying in a statement: “Macron keeps looking the other way while financing Putin’s war through energy and agricultural trade. Today, we made sure he’s looking directly at it.”
The act drew mixed reactions from officials and the public. A spokesperson for the Grévin Museum called it a “shocking violation” and said they are cooperating with authorities in the ongoing investigation. Paris police confirmed that they have opened an inquiry into theft and unauthorized access, though no arrests have yet been made.
This latest protest highlights increasing pressure on European governments to sever remaining economic links with Russia more than three years into the Ukraine conflict. Greenpeace has long criticized what it views as France’s insufficient action in confronting the environmental and ethical consequences of such ties.
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.
But in March, Greenpeace France released a scathing report that accused Paris of indirectly supporting Russia’s war in Ukraine through continued trade in fossil fuels, fertilizers 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, fertilizers and uranium.
Header image: The activists sneak statue out of the backdoor of the Grévin Museum and place it outside the Russian embassy – Thomas Samson/AFP via Getty Images
