Give back the Statue of Liberty to France

French politician says Trump-led America doesn't deserve it

- S VENKAT NARAYAN

A French politician has called on the United States of America to give the Statue of Liberty back to France after suggesting that some Americans "have chosen to switch to the side of the tyrants."

Raphael Glucksmann, a member of the European Parliament who represents the small left-wing party Place Publique, made the comments at a rally last Sunday.

"Give us back the Statue of Liberty," said Glucksmann. "It was our gift to you. But apparently you despise her."

According to reports circulating in Paris, Glucksmann is planning to run for President in elections scheduled for early 2027.

The statue was a gift of friendship to America from France. Inaugurated in 1886, it represents Libertas, the Roman liberty goddess, bearing a torch in her right hand and a tablet in her left hand with the date of the US Declaration of Independence.

Broken shackles lie underneath the statue's drapery, to symbolize the end of all types of servitude and oppression.

Lady Liberty full name "Liberty Enlightening the World"was conceptualized by French antislavery activist Édouard de Laboulaye in 1865 to honour the centennial of the US Declaration of Independence and its friendship with France, whose support helped win the American Revolution.