Palais de Tokyo Dismisses Patrons' Group President Over Hateful Greta Thunberg Comments

Bernard Chenebault was removed as president of the Friends of Palais de Tokyo after posting hateful social media comments about climate activist Greta Thunberg. On Facebook, he called the sixteen-year-old a 'madwoman' and expressed hope that a lunatic would shoot her. The Paris art center's director Emma Lavigne swiftly demanded his resignation. Palais de Tokyo's institutional Twitter account publicly distanced itself from Chenebault's remarks, stating they were made in a personal capacity and did not represent the institution or its patrons' group. Chenebault later posted an apology on Facebook. Following the incident, journalists discovered older deleted tweets and Facebook posts containing racist and reactionary comments by the former president. The patrons' group will elect a new president in the coming weeks.