Mar 18, 2025 11:55:00

French MEP demands 'return of Statue of Liberty'; US side firmly refuses, calling them 'low-ranking French politicians'

The Statue of Liberty on Liberty Island in New York has become a symbol of America in various films and other works, but it was originally a gift from France, donated by French people who supported the American independence movement, as a symbol of friendship between the two countries. As a result of President Trump's foreign policy causing a rift in relations between the United States and France, it was reported that French politicians demanded the return of the Statue of Liberty, but the US government rejected the request.

French MEP demands the US 'give us back the Statue of Liberty'
https://www.france24.com/en/france/20250316-french-mp-demands-the-us-give-us-back-the-statue-of-liberty

White House says it will not return the Statue of Liberty to France - POLITICO
https://www.politico.com/news/2025/03/17/white-house-statue-of-liberty-france-00233883

The Statue of Liberty was donated to the United States by the French people in 1886 to commemorate the 100th anniversary of American independence. It serves as a monument to solidify diplomatic relations between the two countries and to memorialize American independence and the end of slavery for the people of both countries.

At the March 16, 2025, conference of his French political party Plus Public, Raphaël Glucksmann, a member of the European Parliament, argued that France should reclaim the Statue of Liberty because America no longer embodies the spirit of the Statue of Liberty.

Glucksman, a center-left politician and staunch defender of Ukraine, told his supporters at the conference, 'To the Americans who choose to side with tyrants, to the Americans who fire researchers who demand scientific freedom, I will say, 'Give us back our Statue of Liberty,'' he said, sharply criticizing the sudden shift in U.S. war policy and President Trump's anti-science policies.

As President Trump and Elon Musk, who heads the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE), cut budgets and staffing at government research institutes such as NASA and the National Institutes of Health (NIH), France has been one of the first to offer a home for laid-off scientists.

Researchers from NASA and Yale University consider 'scientific asylum' due to fears that their research will be censored due to Donald Trump administration's anti-science policies - GIGAZINE

Glucksmann continued, 'The second thing we say to Americans is: 'If America wants to fire its best academics, the people whose ideals of freedom and revolution, of questioning and inquiry have made America the leading power in the world, we welcome them.''

He added about the Statue of Liberty, 'We gave it to you, but apparently you don't like it, so it's better off staying at home.'

In response, White House Press Secretary Caroline Leavitt strongly countered at a press conference on March 17, saying, 'There will never be a return. My advice to some random low-ranking French politician would be to remember that it is thanks to the United States that the French people don't have to speak German.'

Leavitt's comments were likely a reference to the alliance formed by the United States and France to oppose Nazi Germany during World War II.

According to POLITICO, an American media outlet specializing in politics, the ownership of the Statue of Liberty belongs to the US government, so France, despite being the donor, cannot recapture the statue against the will of the US. POLITICO also pointed out that French President Emmanuel Macron is trying to ease diplomatic tensions with President Trump by brokering a peace agreement to end the Ukrainian war, which has been going on for more than three years, but France's move regarding the Statue of Liberty could worsen that relationship.