The French government has demanded that the Trump administration return the Statue of Liberty, citing that the United States no longer aligns with the values France championed when it gifted the monument in 1886.
This unprecedented move is being spearheaded by leftist politician Raphaël Glucksmann, a member of the European Parliament (MEP), who lead the charge during a gathering of his Place Publique movement. He slammed Trump’s foreign policy, defense of scientific freedom, and budgetary decisions as evidence of America’s drift from its founding ideals.
“We’re going to say to the Americans who have chosen to side with tyrants, to the Americans who fired researchers for demonstrating scientific freedom, ‘Give us back the Statue of Liberty. We gave it to you as a gift, but apparently you despise it. So it will be just fine here at home,’” Glucksmann told supporters.
“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,’” he added.
Thegatewaypundit.com reports: Glucksmann also addressed the dismissal of American researchers advocating for scientific freedom, expressing France’s willingness to welcome these scientists. He further criticized right-wing French parliamentarians who support Trump and Elon Musk, labeling them a “fan club.”
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The Statue of Liberty, designed by French sculptor Auguste Bartholdi, was gifted to the U.S. by France in 1886 to commemorate the centennial of the American Declaration of Independence, and symbolize the enduring friendship between the two nations.