From France comes call for Trump's America to return Lady Liberty
Paris, Mar 18 (AP): Hey, America: Give the Statue of Liberty back to France.
So says a French politician who is making headlines in his country for suggesting that the US is no longer worthy of the monument that was a gift from France nearly 140 years ago.
As a member of the European Parliament and co-president of a small left-wing party in France, Raphael Glucksmann cannot claim to speak for all of his compatriots.
But his assertion in a speech this weekend that some Americans “have chosen to switch to the side of the tyrants” reflects the broad shockwaves that US President Donald Trump's seismic shifts in foreign and domestic policy are triggering in France and elsewhere in Europe.
“Give us back the Statue of Liberty,” Glucksmann said, speaking Sunday to supporters of his Public Place party, who applauded and whistled.
“It was our gift to you. But apparently you despise her. So she will be happy here with us,” Glucksmann said.
Can France claim it back?
Dream on.
UNESCO, the United Nations' cultural arm that has the statue on its list of World Heritage treasures, notes that the iconic monument is US government property.
It was initially envisaged as a monumental gesture of French-American friendship to mark the 100th anniversary of the July 4, 1776, Declaration of Independence.
But a war that erupted in 1870 between France and German states led by Prussia diverted the energies of the monument's designer, French sculptor Frederic-Auguste Bartholdi.
The gift also took time to be funded, with a decision taken that the French would pay for the statue and Americans would cover the costs of its pedestal.
Transported in 350 pieces from France, the statue was officially unveiled October 28, 1886.
Is France's government offering asylum to Lady Liberty?
No. French-US relations would have to drop off a cliff before Glucksmann found support from French President Emmanuel Macron's government.
For the moment, the French president is treading a fine line — trying to work with Trump and temper some of his policy shifts on the one hand but also pushing back hard against some White House decisions, notably Trump's tariff hikes.
Macron has let his prime minister, Francois Bayrou, play the role of being a more critical voice. Bayrou tore into the “brutality” that was shown to Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy during his White House visit and suggested that Trump's administration risked handing victory to Russia when it paused military aid to Ukraine.
Glucksmann's party has been even more critical, posting accusations on its website that Trump is wielding power in an “authoritarian” manner and is “preparing to deliver Ukraine on a silver platter” to Russia.
In his speech, Glucksmann referenced New York poet Emma Lazarus' words about the statue, the “mighty woman with a torch” who promised a home for the “huddled masses yearning to breathe free.”
“Today, this land is ceasing to be what it was,” Glucksmann said.
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PM did not mention Trump, US; for first time a third country interfered in our matter: Kapil Sibal
New Delhi, May 12 (PTI): Rajya Sabha MP Kapil Sibal on Monday questioned why Prime Minister Narendra Modi neither mentioned the US nor President Donald Trump in his address to the nation despite them "interfering" in India's conflict with Pakistan.
Sibal also said the prime minister did not even state how the understanding with Pakistan on halting military hostilities was reached.
Sibal's attack came after Modi's address to the nation in which he sternly warned Pakistan that India will not succumb to nuclear blackmail and sent a clear message to the world -- terror and trade, terror and talks cannot go together.
"Any talks with Pakistan can happen only on terrorism and Pakistan-occupied Kashmir," the prime minister said.
Modi's assertions about not doing trade with Pakistan came minutes after US President Donald Trump said that he told India and Pakistan that his administration will do trade with them only if they end the conflict.
Reacting to the prime minister's remarks, Sibal said, "We all laud the courage of the armed foreces. People of the country salute them for giving a befitting reply to Pakistan. Whenever such terror attack (Pahalgam) takes place, our army will give a befitting reply."
"Some questions arise from the prime minister's address. He neither mentioned the US nor President Trump. Everyone knows that we were told that on May 10, 3:30 pm DGMO Pakistan called our DGMO and then at 5:30 pm Trump made a post on social media. He (Trump) claimed that the 'US mediated the ceasefire...and we were talking with India and Pakistan for the last 48 hours'," Sibal said at a press conference here.
The Independent Rajya Sabha MP also referred to Trump's remarks just ahead of the PM's address to attack Modi.
President Trump on Monday claimed that his administration stopped a "nuclear conflict" between India and Pakistan, adding that he told the two countries America will do a "lot of trade" with them if they stop the conflict.
"And we helped a lot, and we helped also with trade. I said, 'Come on, we're going to do a lot of trade with you guys. Let's stop it. Let's stop it. If you stop it, we're doing trade. If you don't stop it, we're not going to do any trade'," he claimed.
Referring to Trump's remarks, Sibal said Modi did not speak anything on that also.
"He (Modi) said that we have established a new dimension with Operation Sindoor. Yes, for the first time in India's history, a third country interfered in our matter and told us that they will decide what is to be done...you don't even mention how this understanding was reached (with Pakistan)," Sibal said.
"The second thing was that Modi said if Pakistan does such a thing again, we will give a befitting reply, which means terrorism has not been ended, all terrorists have not been killed and it can happen again. Mr. Prime Minister, I would like to say something, Pulwama happened under whose watch? Pahalgam happened under whose watch? Who will take responsibility for it?" Sibal said.
President Trump did not even mention terrorism in his remarks as if it is not an issue, the former Congress leader said.
India and Pakistan have reached an understanding to stop all firings and military actions on land, air and sea with immediate effect after four days of cross-border strikes that triggered fears of a wider conflict.
In a short announcement, Foreign Secretary Vikram Misri said the directors general of military operations of the two countries agreed on the understanding during a call this afternoon.
The decision by India and Pakistan was first made public by Trump in a social media post while claiming that the talks between the two sides were mediated by the US.
