Greenpeace removes wax statue of Macron over French trade with Russia

PARIS (Reuters) -Greenpeace activists removed a wax statue of French President Emmanuel Macron from the Grevin Museum in Paris on Monday and put it in front of the Russian embassy to protest against French business ties with Russia and lack of stronger climate action.

In its statement announcing the removal of the statue, Greenpeace said Macron "does not deserve to be exhibited in this world-renowned cultural institution until he has terminated French contracts with Russia and driven an ambitious and sustainable ecological transition across Europe."

The French presidency was not immediately available for comment.

A Greenpeace spokesperson said the activists had entered the museum Monday morning as regular visitors and went to the room displaying Macron’s wax statue.

They quickly took the statue and exited the building, where other activists were waiting with a car.

"There was no confrontation with museum security because we had planned everything carefully to ensure it happened quickly," the spokesperson said, adding the museum had not been made aware of the action beforehand.

The Grevin Museum, which according to its website displays waxwork figures of more than 200 famous people, was not immediately available for comment.

"We do not deny the political, diplomatic, and financial support of France and Europe for Ukraine," Greenpeace France director Jean-Francois Julliard told Reuters.

"But if we want to be coherent and consistent, we cannot, on the one hand, support Ukraine and, on the other, continue to import such massive amounts of gas, chemical fertilisers, and uranium."

France, along with Belgium and Spain, is among the main importers of LNG into Europe.

The European Union has been working to reduce its dependence on Russian gas, but some imports are tied to long-term contracts, lasting up to 2041. Companies with these contracts include France's TotalEnergies, SEFE and Naturgy.

Greenpeace said they would return the statue but could not yet confirm when.

(Reporting by Antony Paone, Additional reporting by Michel Rose, Writing by Charlotte Van Campenhout; Editing by Aidan Lewis)