African Activists Fined for Taking Artefact From French Museum

A Paris court has fined four African activists for attempting to remove a funerary post from the Quai Branly Museum in Paris, in June 2020. Emery Mwazulu Diyabanza of Congolese origin, attempted to remove the object, saying he had "come to claim back the stolen property of Africa." Diyabanza was ordered to pay a fine of U.S.$1,175 - a punishment he says he will appeal. Three other activists who were with him received suspended fines of U.S.$292, U.S.$878, and U.S.$1,175 respectively, while a fourth person was released without charge. Recently, the French authorities have said it will return 26 artworks looted from Benin during the colonial era.