MEP Wants US to Return Statue of Liberty to France

On March 16, nearly 140 years after France gave America the Statue of Liberty, French MEP Raphaël Glucksmann called on the United States to return the American symbol. He said the United States no longer represented the values ​​that prompted Paris to make the gift.

In his speech, Glucksmann condemned Washington for moving closer to Moscow. According to him, the US “has decided to side with tyrants.” In addition, the French politician criticized the Trump administration for firing scientists who insisted on their scientific freedom.

"We are going to say to the Americans who have chosen to side with tyrants, the Americans who have fired researchers for demanding scientific freedom: 'Give us back the Statue of Liberty,'" the MEP said. "We gave it to you, but apparently you despise it. So it will be fine at home."

White House response

A statue Of freedom will remain in the United States. This statement was made on March 17 by White House Press Secretary Caroline Leavitt in response to Glucksmann's demand.

“It is only thanks to the United States that the French do not speak German today,” stressed the representative of US President Donald Trump, noting that the French “should be very grateful” to the States for this.

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With this comment, Leavitt wanted to recall the role of the United States in liberating France from Nazi occupation during World War II. The White House press secretary called Raphael Glucksmann “an obscure, low-ranking French politician.”

The Story of the "Green Lady"

The Statue of Liberty was created in France under the direction of the sculptor Auguste Bartholdi, reports DW. Its original name was “Liberty Enlightening the World.” It was a gift from France to the United States to commemorate the centennial of the American Revolutionary War, in which the French supported the Americans.

The 46-foot-tall copper statue was unveiled in 1886 on Liberty Island in New York City. For the millions of immigrants who once waited for entry to the United States on nearby Ellis Island, it symbolized hope for a better life.

The bronze plaque on the lower tier of the pedestal is inscribed with Emma Lazarus's poem "The New Colossus." The second half of it—and the most quoted passage—reads:

Preserve, ancient countries, your legendary splendor,
And give me your tired, your poor,
And give me from the depths of the bottomless
His rogue, his people downtrodden,
Send me outcast, homeless,
I light a candle for them at the golden door... /trans. Vladimir Lazarus/