The French politician Raphaël Glucksmann, who is currently serving as a member of the European Parliament with the Progressive Alliance of Socialists and Democrats, spoke at a party convention on Mar. 18, scolding the United States of America for its recent behaviours.
According to the Agence France- Presse (AFP), Glucksmann stated, “Give us back the Statue of Liberty. We’re going to say to the Americans who have chosen to side with the tyrants, to the Americans who fired researchers for demanding scientific freedom: ‘Give us back the Statue of Liberty.'” He then added, “We gave it to you as a gift, but apparently you despise it. So, it will be just fine here at home.”
Lily Stanley, a freshman majoring in visual arts, when informed about this political event, stated, “Wow, I didn’t think that was happening, but I guess it’s reasonable. A lot of things have been happening since Trump took office, and a lot of people around the world are upset with the U.S. because of it. But for France to want the Statue of Liberty back that seems a bit extreme, especially since it wasn’t lent to us, it was a gift.”
Lady Liberty’s full name, “Liberty Enlightening the World,” was created by the French anti-slavery activist Édouard de Laboulaye in 1865 to honor the foundation of the U.S. Declaration of Independence and to honor the friendship between the U.S. and France, whose support helped win the American Revolution.
In 1884, France presented the U.S. with the Statue of Liberty as a gift to celebrate their newfound alliance between them. The statue was then taken apart and shipped across the seas in the French Navy vessel Isère.
When the statue arrived in the U.S. in 1885, it was greatly admired and was “met with great fanfare,” according to the National Parks Service.
The entire structure was put back together and was finished in 1886.
Lady Liberty now stands in New York and has since become an icon of freedom within the United States.
Her raised torch and words of welcome on the statue greeted millions of immigrants at Ellis Island in the late 19th and early 20th centuries.
It has remained a global symbol of freedom, patriotism and democracy for many years until its meaning was beginning to be contradicted in the current times.
Due to the actions of Elon Musk and President Donald Trump in the White House people around the world are expressing their concern and disapproval.
Upon taking office for his second term, President Trump fired or laid off many people throughout the U.S.; more than 2 million federal workers are now without jobs.
Trump, with the influence of Musk, spent his first weeks in office dismantling the federal government and the Department of Education with cuts to about half of its workforce.
Trump is also shutting down and laying off the staff of the United States Agency for International Development, and is currently taking steps to do the same to the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau.
This, in turn, left many unemployed and this act, among others, sparked the comment from Glucksmann, who demanded the return of Lady Liberty.
Glucksmann stated, “The second thing we’re going to say to the Americans is: ‘If you want to fire your best researchers, if you want to fire all the people who, through their freedom and their sense of innovation, their taste for doubt and research, have made your country the world’s leading power, then we’re going to welcome them.'”
Glucksmann believed that the U.S. is not holding true to the same founding principles of Lady Liberty by firing and laying off countless citizens.
Aiyanna Smith, a sophomore majoring in early childhood education, despite admitting to not keeping up with politics daily commented, “Trump firing all those people probably caused problems for many families across the states, so I see where Glucksmann is coming from when he states that Lady Liberty should be returned, but then again Lady Liberty was given to us, and you shouldn’t be able to take back what you give.”
However, when the U.S. found out about Glucksmann’s statements, the White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt in a briefing stated, “Absolutely not.” Leavitt then continued, stating, “My advice to that unnamed, low-level French politician would be to remind them that it’s only because of the United States of America that the French are not speaking German right now.
So they should be very grateful to our great country.”
Since the U.S. government owns the Statue of Liberty, according to UNESCO World Heritage Convention reports, France most likely won’t be able to take Lady Liberty back anyways.
Even though this smaller issue was resolved, the ongoing tension between the U.S. and outside countries still remains.