A French politician has stirred controversy by calling on the United States to return the Statue of Liberty, accusing some Americans of turning their backs on the values it represents.
Raphaël Glucksmann, a member of the European Parliament representing the small left-wing party Place Publique, made the remarks during a rally on Sunday, criticising what he described as a shift in American alignment.
“Give us back the Statue of Liberty,” said Glucksmann. “It was our gift to you. But apparently, you despise her.”
The iconic monument, gifted by France in 1886, was intended to symbolise liberty and friendship between the two nations. Designed to represent Libertas, the Roman goddess of liberty, the statue holds a torch and a tablet inscribed with the date of the US Declaration of Independence. Beneath its drapery lie broken shackles, symbolising the end of oppression.
Responding to Glucksmann’s remarks, White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt issued a sharp rebuttal on Monday.
“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,” she said.
Glucksmann later took to social media to clarify his stance, reiterating his deep respect for the American soldiers who fought against Nazi Germany during World War II.
He emphasised that his gratitude to the US “heroes” that fought against the Nazis in WWII is “eternal,” before making a contrast with US President Donald Trump’s recent attempts to negotiate a settlement between Russia and Ukraine, as well as Trump’s public spat with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky.
“The America of these heroes fought against tyrants, it did not flatter them. It was the enemy of fascism, not the friend of Putin. It helped the resistance and didn’t attack Zelensky,” he wrote.
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“It is precisely because I am petrified by Trumps (sic) betrayal that I said yesterday in a rally that we could symbolically take back the Statue of Liberty if your government despised everything it symbolizes in your eyes, ours, and those of the world,” said Glucksmann.
“No one, of course, will come and steal the Statue of Liberty. The statue is yours. But what it embodies belongs to everyone,” he said.
“And if the free world no longer interests your government, then we will take up the torch, here in Europe.”
Glucksmann, who co-leads Place Publique, has gained growing attention in the French media despite his party’s modest political weight. He recently featured in an in-depth interview with Le Nouvel Obs, in which he stressed the need for Europe to take greater responsibility for its own defence as US foreign policy shifts.
Speculation is also mounting over a possible presidential bid by Glucksmann in the 2027 elections.
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