French EU Parliament Members Calls for France to Retake Statue of Liberty

A left wing French member of the European Union Parliament called on France to take back the Statue of Liberty after it was given nearly 140 years ago.

MEP Raphaël Glucksmann suggested that Americans “despise it.” His remarks came during a political rally in Paris, where he also criticized the Trump administration and the rise of the far right worldwide, which includes his native France, where Marine Le Penn’s National Rally party grew substantially in the last election.

“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.