Raphaël Glucksmann, a Member of the European Parliament (MEP) from the Socialists and Democrats group, has set the tongues wagging by suggesting that the Statue of Liberty, unveiled in New York in 1886 as a gift from the French people, should be sent back to France because the US has chosen to support tyrants, citing local media, on Sunday, the 16th of March, reports Politico.
“We will say to the Americans who have chosen to side with tyrants, to the Americans who fired researchers for demanding scientific freedom: ‘Give us back the Statue of Liberty’,” Glucksmann said with a smirk at the party congress.
“WE GAVE IT TO YOU, BUT YOU OBVIOUSLY DESPISE IT. SO IT WILL BE FINE HERE, AT HOME,” GLUCKSMAN ADDED.
The French MEP was probably referring to Washington’s decision to suspend aid to Ukraine, which was helping it fight the Russian invasion. Although aid has resumed, Trump’s apparent softness towards Russia, his admiration for Putin and his public humiliation of Zelensky have caused concern in Europe.
Speaking on a more serious note, Glucksmann said that France could benefit if Americans who will lose their jobs as a result of the Trump administration’s wave of dismissals choose to emigrate.
“The second thing we will say to the Americans is: ‘If you want to fire your best researchers, if you want to fire all the people who have made your country the world’s leading superpower with their freedom and their sense of innovation, with their taste for doubt and research, then we will welcome them’,” he said.
The Statue of Liberty’s plaque bears an excerpt from the poem ‘The New Colossus’, written by Emma Lazarus in 1883. The most famous lines of the poem are: ‘Give me your tired, your poor. The huddled masses yearning for the breath of freedom.” This inscription symbolises America as a place of refuge for immigrants seeking a new life.
The Trump administration wants to deport people who are allegedly undocumented in the US en masse and has proposed travel restrictions for dozens of countries.
The Trump administration’s decision to stop funding media, including Voice of America (VOA) and Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty (RFE/RL), has also sparked anger and outrage.
On Saturday, journalists from VOA, RFE/RL and other US-funded media outlets were sent on leave or otherwise ordered to stop working after a virtual freeze on funding for media outlets with correspondents around the world covering regions such as Eastern Europe and Central Asia.
“These media have been a beacon of truth, democracy and hope for millions of people around the world,” The European Commission (EC) told Politico on Sunday. “In an era of unmoderated content and fake news, journalism and press freedom are crucial to democracy. This decision risks benefiting our common adversaries.
VOA and RFE/RL have been placed by Russia on the list of undesirable foreign organisations.