“Give us back the Statue of Liberty,” Raphaël Glucksmann, a member of the European Parliament and co-chair of a left-wing party in France, told his supporters on March 16. Many applauded and whistled as he spoke.
The Statue of Liberty was transported from France to New York and was officially inaugurated on October 28, 1886.
PHOTO: AP
Raphaël Glucksmann cannot claim to speak for all French people. But his assertion in a speech this weekend that some Americans “have chosen to side with tyrants” reflects the broader shockwaves that US President Donald Trump’s sweeping changes in domestic and foreign policy are causing in France and elsewhere in Europe, according to the AP .
"Absolutely not": White House firmly refuses to return Statue of Liberty to France
"It is our gift to you. But it is clear that you despise the Goddess. So she will be happy here with us," Glucksmann continued.
The White House dismissed the comments on March 17, saying France should instead be "grateful" for US support in two world wars.
On March 17, White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt was asked about Glucksmann’s comments. She replied that the United States is absolutely not parting with this iconic statue.
White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt
PHOTO: AFP
"My advice to junior French politicians is to remind people that thanks to America, the French don't speak German now," Leavitt said, referring to the US's fight with allied powers to liberate France from Nazi occupation in World War II and its support for France in World War I. "They should be very grateful for that," Karoline confirmed.
However, gratitude should go both ways. Leavitt overlooks the important role France played in supporting America in its fight for independence from Great Britain.
UNESCO - the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization - listed the statue as a world heritage site, noting that the iconic Statue of Liberty is property of the US government.
French politician Raphaël Glucksmann
PHOTO: AP
Initially, the event was considered an important move to demonstrate Franco-American friendship to commemorate the 100th anniversary of the Declaration of Independence on July 4, 1776.
But the outbreak of the Franco-Prussian War in 1870 slowed the efforts of the statue's designer, French sculptor Frédéric-Auguste Bartholdi.
This gift also took some time to be funded, with the decision being that the French would pay for the statue and the Americans would cover the cost of the pedestal.
350 pieces of the Statue of Liberty were transported from France to New York, officially inaugurated on October 28, 1886.
Source: https://thanhnien.vn/nha-trang-bac-de-xuat-tra-tuong-nu-than-tu-do-cho-phap-185250318112209141.htm
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