Greenpeace activists took a statue of French President Emmanuel Macron and placed it outside the Russian embassy in Paris on Monday to protest continued business ties between the two countries, as well as Macron’s climate policies.
Activists said they “borrowed” the statue of Macron from the Grévin Museum in central Paris, which contains waxworks of more than 200 public figures, at 10.30 a.m. local time (4.30 a.m. ET) Monday, according to a statement from Greenpeace.
“He 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 sustainable ecological transition across Europe,” reads the statement.
The activists took the statue to the Russian embassy in the west of the French capital, where they placed it in front of banners decrying continued trade with Moscow in areas such as gas, nuclear power and chemical fertilizers.
One person held a sign which read “business is business” behind the statue, which depicts a smiling Macron clapping his hands. Another banner read “Ukraine is burning, business goes on.”
Despite pledging to end their reliance on Russian fuel, European nations have struggled to end imports of products such as liquified natural gas (LNG).
According to research from the Centre for Research on Energy and Clean Air (CREA), France was the largest importer of Russian fossil fuels of any European Union country in January, with LNG imports totalling 377 million euros ($430 million).
Greenpeace also criticized the continuation of nuclear fuel import contracts involving Russian nuclear agency Rosatom.
“Emmanuel Macron must abandon his nuclear revival. To persist on this path is to persist in a dangerous dependence on hostile regimes like Russia, and to continue financing the industry of a criminal regime,” said Roger Spautz, energy transition campaigner at Greenpeace France, in the statement.
“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 standard and turn the page on nuclear power, once and for all.”
In the statement, Greenpeace criticized what it called “Macron’s double-talk, which fails to do enough to end trade with Russia, even though he publicly displays strong support for Ukraine.”
“This ambiguous stance weakens France’s credibility on the international stage and fuels the Kremlin’s war chest,” it added.
CNN has contacted Greenpeace for further details on where the statue is now and whether it will be returned to the museum.
The Grévin Museum and Macron’s office have been contacted for comment.
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