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A wax figure of President Emmanuel Macron, often mocked, was recently taken from a Paris museum by Greenpeace activists in protest of France’s ongoing ties with Russia.
Reports suggest that two women and a man disguised as tourists entered the Grevin Museum in central Paris, wrapped the £35,000 replica in a blanket, and made their exit through an emergency door.
One local outlet reported that the activists changed their clothes once inside to look like employees, allowing them to get close to the display.
The activists later staged a protest outside the Russian embassy in the 16th arrondissement, displaying signs, a Russian flag, fake warning signs, and the wax figure of Emmanuel Macron.
The director general of Greenpeace France, Jean-François Julliard, said: ‘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’.
‘Emmanuel Macron is being specifically targeted because he bears particular responsibility in this situation.’
He added that Macron ‘should be the one to lead European discussions’ to end trade contracts between European countries and Russia.
Alleged Greenpeace environmental activists hold placards, a Russian flag, mock warning road signs and a wax statue of French President Emmanuel Macron
Greenpeace environmental activists set up a wax statue of French President Emmanuel Macron – they say to have stolen from the Musee Grevin
The activists allegedly entered the Grevin Museum in central Paris posing as tourists, covered the £35,000 lookalike with a blanket and left through an emergency exit
Despite sanctions and Macron’s fierce support for Ukraine, Greenpeace say France has continued to import large amounts of gas, uranium and chemical fertiliser from Russia.
Between 2021 and 2022, France tripled its imports of Russian industrial nuclear products, according to a study by Polish think tank Forum Energii. This has since come down slightly.
France also became the largest European importer of Russian liquefied natural gas, surging by almost 80 per cent in 2024 compared to the year before, it was reported by European Gas Hub.
And in 2023, French imports of Russian fertilisers also jumped up 86 per cent against figures from 2021.
Thanks to his continued involvement with the Kremlin, the activists claimed Macron ‘does not deserve to be exhibited in this world-renowned cultural institution until he has terminated French contracts with Russia and initiated an ambitious and lasting ecological transition on a European scale’.
Before his excursion, the waxwork of Macron had a framed image of the French leader shaking the Russian despot, Vladimir Putin, placed on his desk.
Energy Transition campaigner at Greenpeace France, Roger Spautz, said Macron ‘must abandon his nuclear revival’.
He said: ‘To persist in this trajectory is to persist in a dangerous dependence on hostile regimes like Russia, and to continue financing the industry of a criminal regime.
The activists said they targeted the French leader’s statue because ‘he supports Ukraine but encourages French companies to continue trading with Russia’
Macron ‘should be the one to lead European discussions’ to end trade contracts between European countries and Russia, the activists said
When the figure was created in 2018, even museum staff admitted the Macron waxwork did not look much like Mr Macron
‘There is no sovereignty, no energy transition, and no peace possible with Vladimir Putin’s uranium.
‘It is time to put an end to this double talk and turn the page on nuclear power, once and for all.’
It was not immediately clear whether the thieves would be ransoming the waxwork, though Greenpeace have since said they ‘borrowed’ it.
A man soon contacted the museum after it had gone missing saying he was a member of Greenpeace and that he had taken the figure.
When the statue was created in 2018, even museum staff admitted the Macron waxwork did not look much like Mr Macron.
The depiction of the 47-year-old head of state has often been compared to a Thunderbird puppet, or a Ken and Barbie doll.
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.’
Before his excursion, the waxwork of Macron had a framed image of the French leader shaking the Russian despot, Vladimir Putin, placed on his desk
Despite sanctions and Macron’s fierce support for Ukraine, Greenpeace say France has continued to import large amounts of gas, uranium and chemical fertiliser from Russia
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.
Both museums are massive tourist attractions, with hundreds of thousands of visitors enjoying the waxworks every year.
When it was created in 2018, even museum staff admitted the Macron waxwork did not look much like Mr Macron.
