PARIS, France: A French politician has asked the United States to return the Statue of Liberty, arguing that America no longer upholds the values the monument represents.
Raphaël Glucksmann, a Member of the European Parliament and co-president of the small left-wing party Public Place, made the demand during a speech to his supporters on Sunday.
He accused the US of abandoning democratic principles and aligning with autocratic regimes.
“Give us back the Statue of Liberty,” Glucksmann told the audience, as reported by Le Monde.
“It was our gift to you. But apparently, you despise her. So she will be happy here with us.” His remarks were met with applause and whistles from the crowd.
The Statue of Liberty, designed by French sculptor Frédéric-Auguste Bartholdi, was gifted to the US in 1886 as a symbol of Franco-American friendship and to commemorate the centenary of the American Declaration of Independence.
The statue, which portrays the Roman goddess Libertas holding a torch and a tablet, has since become an enduring symbol of freedom and democracy.
Glucksmann’s comments reflect growing unease in parts of Europe over the foreign and domestic policies of US President Donald Trump.
His party has criticised Trump’s administration for what it describes as an “authoritarian” approach and accused him of preparing to “deliver Ukraine on a silver platter” to Russia by pausing military aid.
White House responds
The White House dismissed Glucksmann’s remarks. Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt, when asked about the demand during a press briefing on Monday, rejected the suggestion outright.
“Absolutely not,” Leavitt said, according to The New York Times. “And my advice to that unnamed, low-level French politician would be to remind them that it’s only because of the United States of America that the French are not speaking German right now. They should be very grateful to our great country.”
Leavitt was referring to the role of American troops in liberating France from Nazi occupation during World War II, as well as US support in World War I.
Following Leavitt’s remarks, Glucksmann responded via social media, stating that his call to reclaim the Statue of Liberty was intended as a symbolic “wake-up call” rather than a literal demand.
“We all in Europe love this nation to which we know we owe so much,” Glucksmann wrote on X, formerly Twitter. “It will rise again. You will rise again. We are counting on you.”
Glucksmann’s statements come amid strained relations between the US and some European leaders.
French Prime Minister François Bayrou has been among those critical of the Trump administration’s foreign policy, particularly regarding Ukraine.
Bayrou previously condemned what he called the “brutality” shown to Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy during his visit to the White House and warned that the US’s wavering support risked handing victory to Russia.
