 "Greenpeace environmental activists set up a wax statue of French President Emmanuel Macron - they say to have stolen from the Musee Grevin - during an action against France's gas and fertilizer imports from Russia, outside the Russian Embassy in Paris on Monday. AFP")
A wax figure of French President Emmanuel Macron, often mocked for its appearance, has been stolen from the Grevin Museum in Paris by individuals claiming to be Greenpeace activists.
According to a Mail Online report, citing police, two women and a man entered the museum posing as tourists, covered the statue with a blanket, and exited through an emergency door.
Shortly after, a man contacted the museum, identifying himself as a Greenpeace member and admitting to the theft, added the report.
The activists later staged a protest featuring placards, a Russian flag, mock warning signs, and the stolen Macron wax figure.
“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,” Mail Online quoted Jean-François Julliard, Director General of Greenpeace France, as saying.
Macron was specifically targeted because he holds particular responsibility in the current situation, Julliard said, adding that the French president “should be leading European efforts” to end trade agreements with Russia.
It’s unclear whether the stolen wax figure will be held for ransom or melted down.
When unveiled in 2018, even staff at the Grevin Museum admitted the £35,000 figure bore little resemblance to Macron. It has since been widely mocked, with comparisons to a Thunderbird puppet or a Ken doll.
“A tense and anguished face, a frozen statue that doesn’t live, this is not beautiful, it is something that just doesn’t work,” Grevin’s Director Yves Delhommeau was quoted as saying.
Delhommeau revealed that President Macron declined to sit for a face scan, forcing sculptors to rely solely on photographs of the then-40-year-old for the wax figure.
The result drew widespread ridicule online, with many calling it one of the worst likenesses of a public figure ever made.
Often compared to London’s Madame Tussauds, the Grevin Museum features wax figures of prominent personalities from around the world. Both museums attract hundreds of thousands of visitors annually and are popular tourist destinations.
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View AllEven when the Macron figure was unveiled in 2018, Grevin staff admitted it bore little resemblance to the real president.
With inputs from agencies