Images of graffiti against the backdrop of the Eiffel Tower in Paris with the inscriptions Daghestan, Chechnya, and Georgia have gone viral online, prompting speculation as to who the artist is. An 18-year-old native of Daghestan, identifying himself as Mansur and using the pseudonym MMY, told the Russian Telegram channel Mash that he was responsible for the inscriptions.
In an interview with Mash, Mansur said that he moved to France about five years ago. He claims that he made the first inscription, ‘Daghestan’, on the terrace of the Palais de Chaillot because he missed his homeland. Later, the inscriptions Chechnya, KChR (‘Karachay-Cherkesia’), Ingushetia, and Georgia were added after requests from other natives of the Caucasus.
In recent weeks, photographs and videos of these inscriptions have been widely circulated between Russian-speaking social media users. Users posted clips filmed against the backdrop of the Eiffel Tower, as well as images created with the help of AI, in which famous politicians, athletes, and pop culture characters appeared next to the graffiti.
One tourist filmed how Russian songs were being played on the terrace of the palace in the evening, including the track Voyage by the group Leningrad.
Other users have posted AI-generated photos of several public figures strolling next to the graffiti, including of French President Emmanuel Macron, Elon Musk, boxer Mike Tyson, footballers Zinedine Zidane, Cristiano Ronaldo, and Lionel Messi, actors Brad Pitt, Leonardo DiCaprio, Benedict Cumberbatch, James Gandolfini, Henry Cavill, Jason Statham, and Christoph Waltz, as well as Batman and Voldemort.
Mansur himself claims that municipal services regularly paint over or wash away the inscriptions, and that he allegedly sprays them again. He also stated that he did not consider his actions to amount to vandalism because, according to him, there is allegedly already other street graffiti in the area.
At the same time, if the police do take an interest in his actions, the young man could face a fine of up to €2,000 ($2,300) and deportation for damage to municipal property.
The Palais de Chaillot is a building in Paris, located on the right bank of the Seine, opposite the Champ de Mars and the Eiffel Tower. It was built in the art deco style for the 1937 World’s Fair on the site of the old Trocadéro Palace. The terrace of the Palais de Chaillot opposite the Eiffel Tower is a popular tourist spot and is often used for photo and video shoots.
