It’s generally considered poor form to ask for a gift back, but that hasn’t stopped French MEP Raphaël Glucksmann, who believes the Statue of Liberty should head back to France. Here’s why. Nearly 140 years after the Statue of Liberty was gifted to America from France, French lawmaker Raphaël Glucksmann has suggested that it’s time for the green lady to come home.
Indeed, the center-left member of the European Parliament has made a compelling argument for the staue to head back to France, stating that the US no longer represents the values that led France to offer the statue in the first place. “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’,” said Glacksmann, adding: “We gave it to you as a gift, but apparently you despise it. So it will be just fine here at home.
” The Statue of Liberty - originally named ( ) - was originally conceived by French politician Edouard de Laboulaye and designed by French artist Auguste Bartholdi (1834 – 1904). It is seen as a symbol of liberty, justice and democracy, and was formally delivered to the American minister in Paris on 4 July 1880. Its official unveiling was in New York City's harbour on 28 October 1886, to mark the centennial of the American Declaration of Independence.
The poem “The New Colossus” by Emma Lazarus is engraved on a bronze plaque inside the pedestal�.
