The Blubber

French Lawmaker Calls for the Statue of Liberty’s Return to France

Nearly 150 years after France gifted the Statue of Liberty to the United States, French lawmaker Raphaël Glucksmann is suggesting it’s time for Lady Liberty to come home.

The center-left member of the European Parliament argues that the U.S. no longer upholds the values that originally inspired France to present the statue.

“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,’” Glucksmann declared.

“We gave it to you as a gift, but apparently you despise it. So it will be just fine here at home.”

A Symbol of Freedom and Democracy

The Statue of Liberty—originally named La Liberté éclairant le monde (Liberty Enlightening the World)—was conceived by French politician Édouard de Laboulaye and designed by sculptor Auguste Bartholdi.

Meant to symbolize liberty, justice, and democracy, the statue was formally delivered to the U.S. minister in Paris on July 4, 1880. It was officially unveiled in New York Harbor on October 28, 1886, marking the centennial of the American Declaration of Independence.

“Give Me Your Tired, Your Poor”

One of the most famous features of the statue is Emma Lazarus’ poem, The New Colossus, engraved on a bronze plaque at the base. Its most iconic lines read:

Give me your tired, your poor,
Your huddled masses yearning to breathe free,
The wretched refuse of your teeming shore.
Send these, the homeless, tempest-tost to me,
I lift my lamp beside the golden door!

Whether the Statue of Liberty will stay in New York or return to France remains firmly in the realm of political rhetoric, but Glucksmann’s remarks have certainly reignited debate about what Lady Liberty stands for in today's world.