Greenpeace activists swipe Emmanuel Macron waxwork from Paris's Grevin Museum before using it in anti-Russia protest
The £35,000 depiction of the 47-year-old head of state has often been compared to a Thunderbird puppet, or a Ken and Barbie doll.
3
3
Two women and a man disguised as staff took the £35,000 model from Paris's Grevin Museum.
They placed the figure in front of the Russian embassy, urging France to halt gas and fertiliser imports from Moscow.
Greenpeace's Jean-Francois Julliard said: 'France is playing a double game.
"Macron embodies this. He supports Ukraine but encourages French firms to continue trading with Russia.'
When it was created in 2018, even museum staff admitted the Macron waxwork did not look much like Mr Macron.
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.'
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.
Little Mix waxworks unveiled at Madame Tussauds
Both museums are massive tourist attractions, with hundreds of thousands of visitors enjoying the waxworks every year.
3
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Daily Mail
43 minutes ago
- Daily Mail
Cynical reason why Albo may lower Australia's voting age to 16 - and why it would be a colossal mistake. PETER VAN ONSELEN
The UK's decision to lower the voting age to 16 is being hailed in progressive circles as a democratic leap forward. It isn't. It's a politically convenient move masquerading as civic advancement, and it's one Australia should resist, regardless of how tempted Albo's government might be to follow suit.
Telegraph
43 minutes ago
- Telegraph
Crime has got so bad in Britain that foreign governments are warning their citizens about visiting
Before Samuel* travelled from Australia to the UK last October, his friends and family warned him about London's reputation for crime. 'I had planned to travel all around Europe,' says the 27-year-old architecture student from Sydney, 'but my parents said, 'once you get to London, you need to be really careful''. Conversations about the soaring robbery and theft rates in London are commonplace for Australian travellers visiting the UK, says Samuel. 'Everyone knows of somebody [in Australia] that's had their phone stolen in London,' he says. 'It's definitely common to hear the warnings in Australia, everyone knows that.' Despite the warnings, Samuel became one of around 80,000 people whose phones were stolen in London last year. Walking up a flight of stairs at Euston station with his mobile in his back pocket, he noticed he had been pick-pocketed when he reached the top. The experience had such an impact on him that he still finds himself checking his pockets in Australia, even though phone theft is 'non-existent' out there. Warnings about London's crime are not just hearsay out in Australia; they are now being issued by the Australian government. The government website Smart Traveller has raised the UK travel advice from a Level 1 to a Level 2 warning, urging Australians to 'exercise a high degree of caution' when visiting Britain, adding that 'petty crime is common, including pickpocketing' and alerting readers to thieves who use 'scooters and bicycles to snatch belongings'. Two extra bullet points recommend travellers 'keep money and valuables such as mobile phones out of sight' and 'avoid putting valuables in [their] pockets'. In Australia, there are only four risk levels when it comes to travel warnings: Level 1 indicates that a country is 'similar' to Australia safety-wise, while Level Four is 'do not travel' because 'your health and safety are at extreme risk'. Level 2, issued to the UK, 'may reflect a weak law-and-order system, where violent crime is common,' explains the website, adding that the country 'may lack some key public services, such as a responsive police force.' Two fifths of mobile phone thefts in Europe now happen in the UK, according to the insurance company SquareTrade Europe. Its data reveals that phone theft claims in the UK have increased by 425 per cent since June 2021. One mobile phone is stolen every six minutes across the capital, according to the Metropolitan Police. Meanwhile, violent crime has gone up by 30 per cent during Sir Sadiq Khan's nine-year tenure as Mayor of London. In March, the Conservatives accused him of overseeing a 'woefully inadequate' response to the problem of phone theft after dedicating only two sentences to the increase in his policing strategy for the capital. In early July this year, the Home Office wrote on X that there had been a 44 per cent rise in street crime across the UK, record levels of shop theft and a million incidents of anti-social behaviour. There's been a 44% rise in street crime, record levels of shop theft and a million incidents of anti-social behaviour. We refuse to accept this for our towns. This summer, police forces are increasing targeted patrols to protect businesses from harm and increase public safety. — Home Office (@ukhomeoffice) July 4, 2025 Australia is not the only country warning its citizens to take precautions when visiting the UK. Research by The Telegraph has uncovered a slew of foreign countries that have either put out fresh warnings about the rising levels of crime in the UK in recent years, or updated the 'crime' sections of their websites with additional warnings. The countries include France, Canada, New Zealand, the UAE and, most surprisingly, Mexico. In a 'travel advice' section on the Mexican embassy website, it warns that 'in London, crime has increased, especially in crowded areas, on the streets, and on public transportation.' It lists 16 bullet points with practical advice on how to avoid petty crime on the street, in the hotel, and when travelling in a vehicle. 'Avoid displaying jewellery, cameras, cell phones, or other valuables,' the website advises. The UAE embassy website also warns travellers of a 'recent increase in violence and knife crime' in London, 'including a number of attacks on citizens of Arab Gulf states'. It says: 'We advise our citizens to take special care, especially at night, and avoid wearing valuable items that attract attention in public places'. Twelve bullet points follow, with advice 'to make your visit to London safer'. They include making sure to check that the hotel door has a functional lock and a dead bolt. Like Australia, the Canadian government has increased its warnings about crime in London. In 2017, the Canadian website increased the risk level of the UK from the first level ('exercise normal safety precautions') to the second level ('you should exercise a high degree of caution '). Canada only has four risk levels, the fourth being 'avoid all travel'. Though the update seems to have been made following the Westminster terror attack in 2017, the volume of advice about 'crime' in London has grown startlingly on the website over a decade. Web archives show that in 2012, the Canadian government published one line warning of 'petty crime' including 'pickpocketing, purse snatching and mugging'. By 2017, the section on crime had grown to three paragraphs, and included a new warning of 'violent crime such as mugging and sexual assault'. In 2019, the government was listing areas in which to be most vigilant, including 'pubs and bars', and had published a line that 'cellphone theft is rampant in tourist areas'. Now, in 2025, there are three lengthy sections on 'petty crime', 'violent crime' and 'spiked food and drinks' with detailed bullet points advising Canadians to 'avoid showing signs of affluence'. And it's not just foreign governments issuing warnings: back in the UK, London hotels are now also warning travellers of the high rates of petty crime. 'We always mention to be wary of phone snatching; there's a lot of phone snatching in Piccadilly Circus', says a concierge, who did not want to be named, at a luxury five-star hotel in central London. 'Also, when they are wearing jewellery, we mention that they should be careful.' Unsuspecting guests falling victim to phone snatching has 'happened a few times,' they say, 'but there's not much we can do. It happened once with an external member of the public, it was over a year ago: it can be guests, or people from outside. It's most likely phones.' It's lunchtime in central Victoria. 'Hop-on hop-off' buses are embarking on their tours of London, filled with huge groups of tourists. One bus steward is shepherding a queue of eager foreign visitors into a brightly coloured, open-top coach. He says that in the last year, he has been witness to six or seven 'live' phone snatches alone. 'Most of the time they come on electric bicycles, they snatch from the footpaths and they go away: they're really fast,' he says. Now he worries that it could detrimentally affect the tourist industry he is part of. 'It could impact tourists because tourists are afraid of where the crime is… it could impact the business', he admits. 'People are still afraid. Previously I heard that London was the safest place, but crimes are going up now'. Is he concerned for the future of his job? 'Yes, there is a concern,' he admits, before suggesting that 'we should tighten immigration laws' and that 'people should be punished when they commit the crime.' Online, social media is awash with warnings for those visiting the UK. 'So I moved to London this week, and I am so anxious walking on the streets,' says Australian social media user Alicia English while filming herself in a TikTok post. 'Apparently everyone's phones get stolen off them, people drive past on bikes and just snatch them out of your hands… that is making me anxious because I really can't afford a new phone right now.' Her video has nearly 200 comments. 'I saw someone have a phone snatched out [of] their hands on Oxford Street last week,' says one respondent. In May 2024, Calina Chehade, a 24-year-old video editor, saw a string of warnings about crime in London on TikTok before her trip to the city. Chehade, who lives in Lebanon, was travelling to the UK for an Olivia Rodrigo concert. 'Phone snatching is especially talked about and famous in London,' she tells The Telegraph. 'My mum sent me a TikTok of someone with a black eye because someone stole their phone. It definitely got on my nerves.' Before she travelled to London, family members who had visited before gave her tips to prevent her phone being stolen. 'I remember my cousin telling me 'wear a big coat and put your wallet inside your coat, and close it well and hold on to your belongings,' she says, before reciting, as if by heart: 'Always walk with confidence. Don't let them know you're a tourist.' Though Chehade did not have her phone snatched, she views herself as one of the lucky ones. 'It was fine, luckily,' she reflects of her visit. 'But there is luck involved, it's not just me being prepared. Thank God, nothing happened.' Then she confides, almost in amazement, and perhaps with a slight tinge of disappointment: 'I didn't even witness a phone snatch while there.'
BBC News
43 minutes ago
- BBC News
Tensions 'getting worse' year after 'worst riots ever seen'
Tensions are "getting worse" a year after violent disorder spread across a city, an expert has said. On 5 August 2024, a peaceful protest was "hijacked" by angry gangs who hurled bricks and bottles at crowds and officers. After the incident, 27 people were arrested and 24 people convicted - with the total number of combined sentences reaching 36 years. Acting Supt Tom Cunningham, from Devon and Cornwall Police, described it as the "worst ever" disorder he has seen in his 28 years of Regis Ntavuka, from the Plymouth & Devon racial equality council, said things are getting worse once again as propaganda continues to spread. Remembering 2024's disorder, Mr Ntavuka said there was a "difference on the day". "[There was] a different energy, even just walking through town people were making sure I got home safe - even the bus drivers stopped me to offer a lift."It was a boiling point, it was always going to happen – it was just a case of when," he is now pushing harder than ever to reconnect the community. "We feel that it is more necessary than ever now," he on the potential of more disruption, he added: "In terms of the overall picture, I think it's getting worse."I don't think we should look at it as these people doing the riots are mindless idiots because propaganda can affect anyone."The power of language and propaganda is incredible," he said. Supt Cunningham said last year's disorder broke out after two groups that wanted to peacefully protest came together, but unfortunately the event was "hijacked"."We will happily facilitate peaceful protests – however what we will not tolerate is people pushing that into violent disorder as we saw in Plymouth last year," he the disorder, he was "really proud" of the way his officers dealt with the incident."They had bottles, bricks and everything else thrown at them on the night, but they brought back order to that disorder," he said.
