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Raphael Glucksmann demands US return Statue of Liberty: Who is the French politician?
French politician Raphael Glucksmann is calling for US to return the Statue of Liberty. “We gave it to you as a gift, but apparently you despise it,” he said.
A French Parliament member is calling for the United States to return the Statue of Liberty, arguing that America no longer embodies the values the sculpture represents, French newspaper Le Monde reported.
Raphael Glucksmann, a member of the political party Place Publique, made the demand during a speech at a party convention on Sunday. “Give us back the Statue of Liberty,” he said.
He further criticized the US, saying, "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.'"
“We gave it to you as a gift, but apparently you despise it. So, it will be just fine here at home,” Glucksmann said.
Glucksmann, a staunch defender of Ukraine, has repeatedly criticized US President Donald Trump’s stance toward Ukraine and Russia.
In his speech, Glucksmann issued a second message directed at Americans.
“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 said.
Who is Raphael Glucksmann?
Born in 1979, Raphael Glucksmann is a graduate of the Institute of Political Studies in Paris. Since 2019, he has been a member of the Group of the Progressive Alliance of Socialists and Democrats in the European Parliament. He also serves as the Vice-Chairman of the European Parliament’s Subcommittee on Human Rights and has chaired the Special Committee on Foreign Interference in the European Union’s democratic processes since September 2020, according to Geopolitique.
When and why did France gift the Statue of Liberty to the US?
France presented the Statue of Liberty to the United States in 1884 as a gesture of goodwill to commemorate the alliance between the two nations. The statue was disassembled and shipped aboard the French Navy vessel Isère. It arrived in New York in 1885. The statue was fully assembled and unveiled in 1886.
What does the Statue of Liberty represent?
According to the National Endowment for the Humanities, the Statue of Liberty is a universal symbol of freedom, democracy, and hope, representing the ideals of the United States while “serving as a welcoming beacon for immigrants.”
