Paris wax museum removes Putin statue

The Grevin Museum in Paris on Tuesday removed a wax statue of Russian President Vladimir Putin in protest of his invasion of Ukraine and after it was damaged by visitors over the weekend. The statue, which was created in 2000, has been moved to a warehouse until further notice and the museum is considering replacing it with a statue of Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky.

“Today it is no longer possible to present a character like him… for the first time in the museum’s history, we are removing a statue because of ongoing historical events,” museum director Yves Delhommeau told France Bleu radio.

Over the weekend, the statue came under attack from visitors and looked “shaggy,” he said.

“Given what’s happened, we and our team don’t want to have to fix your hair and appearance every day,” Delhommeau said.

A museum spokesperson said it was unclear under what circumstances the statue might return.

Asked who could replace Putin in the empty spot between the statues of US President Joe Biden and Chinese President Xi Jinping, Delhommeau said it could be Ukrainian Zelensky.

“Maybe President Zelensky will take his place… he has become a hero for resisting and not fleeing his country. He could perfectly take his place among the great men of history and today,” he said.

In 2014, after Russia’s annexation of Crimea from Ukraine, a protester with “Kill Putin” painted on his bare chest stabbed the statue and crushed its skull.

Source: CNN Brasil

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