Greenpeace activists interrupt Macron speech

Two Greenpeace activists disrupted the opening of the global nuclear summit in France when they stormed the stage during speeches by President Emmanuel Macron and Rafael Grossi, head of the International Atomic Energy Agency. The incident occurred at the start of the event, where world leaders were to discuss the role of nuclear energy.

The protesters, dressed in black suits and ties, carried banners with the Greenpeace logo and slogans such as ‘Nuclear energy = energy insecurity’ and ‘Nuclear energy fuels Russian war’. One of the activists asked President Macron why France still buys uranium from Russia. Macron replied that France produces its own nuclear energy.

France has its own uranium enrichment capacity, but according to government customs data it also imports enriched uranium for its power plants from Russia. In 2025, the Russian state-owned company Rosatom accounted for approximately 44 per cent of global uranium enrichment capacity.

Greenpeace said around 15 of its activists blocked incoming convoys outside the summit venue in Boulogne-Billancourt near Paris.

France is hosting the second World Nuclear Energy Summit, where state representatives are discussing the future of nuclear energy.

(reuters, max)