Emmanuel Macron wax statue stolen from the Grévin Museum in Paris and placed in front of the Russian Embassy

A man identifying himself as a Greenpeace activist claimed responsibility for the theft. The activists then placed the statue in front of the Russian embassy in protest against France's economic ties with Russia.

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A wax statue of Emmanuel Macron was stolen on the morning of Monday, June 2, from the Grévin Museum in Paris's 9th arrondissement, franceinfo learned from a source close to the case. A man claiming to be a Greenpeace activist immediately claimed responsibility.

The statue of the French President was then placed in front of the Russian Embassy, ​​located in the 16th arrondissement of the capital. Greenpeace stated in a statement that it had "borrowed" the statue from the museum and then placed it in front of the Russian Embassy as a sign of protest against France's economic ties with Russia.

ACTION 🔴 #Ukraine #Russia Emmanuel Macron has no place in an internationally renowned museum like the Musée Grévin. So we decided to symbolically move it in front of the #Russian Embassy. 🧵👇 We'll explain why

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"For us, France is playing a double game," and "Emmanuel Macron embodies this double talk: he supports Ukraine but encourages French companies to continue trading with Russia," said Jean-François Julliard, director general of Greenpeace France. "We are specifically targeting Emmanuel Macron because he has a particular responsibility in this situation," he added. "He should be the first in European discussions" to end trade contracts between Russia and European countries.

According to initial findings from the investigation, a source close to the case told franceinfo, two women and a man who appeared to be tourists visiting the Grévin Museum disguised themselves as museum employees. They then stole the unsealed wax statue. The statue was worth €40,000, according to the source. The thieves managed to escape with the statue by going through an emergency exit and hiding it under a blanket.

Immediately afterward, a man identifying himself as a member of Greenpeace contacted the museum to claim responsibility for the action. The museum's management immediately notified the police. The 9th arrondissement police station is leading the investigation into the theft from the museum, the Paris prosecutor's office reported to franceinfo.