French Mural Shows Statue Of Liberty Covering Her eyes In A Swipe At Trump
As statements go, it's a big one.
A towering mural in France of the Statue of Liberty covering her eyes is racking up millions of views online with its swipe at US President Donald Trump 's immigration and deportation policies.
Amsterdam-based street artist Judith de Leeuw described her giant work in the northern French town of Roubaix, which has a large immigrant community, as "a quiet reminder of what freedom should be."
She said "freedom feels out of reach" for migrants and "those pushed to the margins, silenced, or unseen."
"I painted her covering her eyes because the weight of the world has become too heavy to witness. What was once a shining symbol of liberty now carries the sorrow of lost meaning," de Leeuw wrote in a July 4 post on Facebook, when Americans were celebrating Independence Day.
Her depiction of the Statue of Liberty, a gift from the French people in the late 1800s, has inspired some sharp criticism.
Wow! France gifted her to us, and now they've captured what so many Americans are feeling on Independence Day. The values the Statue of Liberty stood for are no more.
📌 A stunning mural of the Statue of Liberty covering her face was unveiled in Roubaix, France, on July 3, 2025. pic.twitter.com/wYylY7ARJy
— Christopher Webb (@cwebbonline) July 4, 2025
Rep. Tim Burchett, a Republican lawmaker from Tennessee, wrote in an angry post on X that the work "disgusts me." He said he had an uncle who fought and died in France, where U.S. forces saw combat in both World War I and World War II.
In an interview with The Associated Press, de Leeuw was unapologetic.
"I'm not offended to be hated by the Donald Trump movement. I am not sorry. This is the right thing to do," she said.
The town stood by the work, with its deputy mayor in charge of cultural affairs, Frederic Lefebvre, telling broadcaster France 3 that "it's a very strong and powerful political message."
Since returning to the White House amid anti-immigration sentiment, Trump has launched an unprecedented campaign that has pushed the limits of executive power and clashed with federal judges trying to restrain him. People from various countries have been deported to remote and unrelated places like South Sudan and the small African nation of Eswatini.
Polling by Gallup released last week showed an increasing number of Americans who said immigration is a "good thing" and decreasing support for the type of mass deportations Trump has championed since before he was elected.
The mural in Roubaix is part of an urban street culture festival backed by the town. Roubaix is one of the poorest towns in France. It was economically devastated by the collapse since the 1970s of its once-flourishing textile industry that used to attract migrant workers from elsewhere in Europe, north Africa and beyond.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Indian Express
6 minutes ago
- Indian Express
Trump, Xi might meet ahead of or during October APEC summit in South Korea
US President Donald Trump might visit China before going to the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation summit between October 30 and November 1, or he could meet Chinese leader Xi Jinping on the sidelines of the APEC event in South Korea, the South China Morning Post reported on Sunday citing multiple sources. The two countries have been trying to negotiate an end to an escalating tit-for-tat tariff war that has upended global trade and supply chains. Trump has sought to impose tariffs on US importers for virtually all foreign goods, which he says will stimulate domestic manufacturing and which critics say will make many consumer goods more expensive for Americans. He has called for a universal base tariff rate of 10% on goods imported from all countries, with higher rates for imports from the most 'problematic' ones, including China: imports from there now have the highest tariff rate of 55%. Trump has set a deadline of August 12 for the US and China to reach a durable tariffs agreement. A spokesperson for Trump did not respond to a request for comment about the reported plans for a meeting with Xi in the fall. The two countries' most recent high-level meeting was on July 11, when US Secretary of State Marco Rubio and Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi had what both described as a productive and positive meeting in Malaysia about how trade negotiations should proceed. Rubio noted then that Trump had been invited to China to meet with Xi, and said that both leaders 'want it to happen.' On Friday, China Commerce Minister Wang Wentao said China wants to bring its trade ties with the US back to a stable footing and that recent talks in Europe showed there was no need for a tariff war
News18
19 minutes ago
- News18
Trump, Xi Jinping Likely To Meet During October APEC Summit In South Korea: Report
Trump has aimed to impose tariffs on US importers for almost all foreign goods, claiming it will stimulate domestic manufacturing. Critics argue this will make many consumer goods more expensive for Americans. He has called for a universal base tariff rate of 10 per cent on goods imported from all countries, with higher rates for imports from the most 'problematic" ones, including China, where imports now have the highest tariff rate of 55%. The Reuters reported that Trump has set a deadline of August 12 for the US and China to reach a durable tariffs agreement. The two countries' most recent high-level meeting was on July 11, when US Secretary of State Marco Rubio and Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi had what both described as a productive and positive meeting in Malaysia about how trade negotiations should proceed. Rubio noted then that Trump had been invited to China to meet with Xi, and said that both leaders 'want it to happen."
Time of India
35 minutes ago
- Time of India
Stormy Monsoon Session begins July 21: Parliament to focus on Operation Sindoor, new Tax Bill; check agenda, bills, and more
A political storm is set to hit Parliament from July 21, as fiery debates erupt over Operation Sindoor , the Pahalgam terror attack and the delay in justice, Donald Trump's controversial 'ceasefire' claims during India-Pak tensions, and Bihar's special electoral roll revision, which the INDIA bloc warns could trample voting rights. This will be the first session after Operation Sindoor, which was launched in May following a terror attack in Jammu and Kashmir's Pahalgam that killed 26 people. The government is preparing to bring forward a series of amendments and new legislative proposals across sectors including taxation, sports, education, mining, and shipping. The session will also introduce a new attendance system for MPs, requiring them to mark their presence through a digital device at their designated seats—an effort aimed at increasing transparency and reducing misuse of allowances. Explore courses from Top Institutes in Select a Course Category CXO Data Science Data Science Others MCA Public Policy Technology Product Management Data Analytics PGDM Leadership Degree Artificial Intelligence others Design Thinking healthcare Digital Marketing MBA Healthcare Cybersecurity Management Operations Management Project Management Finance Skills you'll gain: Operations Strategy for Business Excellence Organizational Transformation Corporate Communication & Crisis Management Capstone Project Presentation Duration: 11 Months IIM Lucknow Chief Operations Officer Programme Starts on Jun 30, 2024 Get Details Skills you'll gain: Customer-Centricity & Brand Strategy Product Marketing, Distribution, & Analytics Digital Strategies & Innovation Skills Leadership Insights & AI Integration Expertise Duration: 10 Months IIM Kozhikode IIMK Chief Marketing and Growth Officer Starts on Apr 7, 2024 Get Details Skills you'll gain: Technology Strategy & Innovation Emerging Technologies & Digital Transformation Leadership in Technology Management Cybersecurity & Risk Management Duration: 24 Weeks Indian School of Business ISB Chief Technology Officer Starts on Jun 28, 2024 Get Details Skills you'll gain: Digital Strategy Development Expertise Emerging Technologies & Digital Trends Data-driven Decision Making Leadership in the Digital Age Duration: 40 Weeks Indian School of Business ISB Chief Digital Officer Starts on Jun 30, 2024 Get Details LIST OF BILLS LIKELY TO BE TAKEN UP DURING MONSOON SESSION , 2025 I – LEGISLATIVE BUSINESS The Bills of Lading Bill, 2024 The Carriage of Goods by Sea Bill, 2024 The Coastal Shipping Bill, 2024 The Readjustment of Representation of Scheduled Tribes in Assembly Constituencies of the State of Goa Bill, 2024 The Merchant Shipping Bill, 2024 The Indian Ports Bill, 2025 The Income-tax Bill, 2025 The Manipur Goods and Services Tax (Amendment) Bill, 2025- To replace an Ordinance The Jan Vishwas (Amendment of Provisions) Bill, 2025 The Indian Institutes of Management (Amendment) Bill, 2025 The Taxation Laws (Amendment) Bill, 2025 The Geoheritage Sites and Geo-relics (Preservation and Maintenance) Bill, 2025 The Mines and Minerals (Development and Regulation) Amendment Bill, 2025 The National Sports Governance Bill, 2025 The National Anti-Doping Amendment Bill, 2025 II – FINANCIAL BUSINESS Discussion and voting on Demands for Grants (Manipur) for the year 2025-26 and introduction, consideration and passing/return of the related Appropriation Bill. III – OTHER BUSINESS Live Events Resolution seeking approval of extension of President's Rule imposed through Proclamation issued by the President on the 13th of February, 2025 under article 356(1) of the Constitution of India in relation to the State of Manipur. Income Tax Bill, other economic agendas A report of the parliamentary committee set up to scrutinise the new Income Tax Bill, 2025, which would replace the six-decade old Income Tax Act, is scheduled to be tabled in the Lok Sabha on Monday. The 31-member Select Committee, chaired by BJP leader Baijayant Panda, was appointed by Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla to scrutinise The new Income Tax Bill, 2025, which was introduced by Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman on February 13 in the Lok Sabha. The Committee has made 285 suggestions and at its meeting on July 16 adopted the report on new I-T Bill, 2025, which will now be tabled in the House for further action. The simplified Income Tax Bill, which is half the size of the 1961 Income Tax Act, seeks to achieve tax certainty by minimising the scope of litigation and fresh interpretation. Provisions relating to exemptions and TDS/TCS have been made crispier in the Bill by putting them in a tabular format, while the chapter for not-for-profit organisations has been made comprehensive with use of plain language. As a result of this, the word count has come down by 34,547. In a taxpayer-friendly move, the Bill replaces the term 'previous year' as mentioned in the Income Tax Act, 1961 with 'tax year'. Also, the concept of assessment year has been done away with. Currently, for income earned in the previous year (say 2023-24), tax is paid in assessment year (say 2024-25). This previous year and assessment year (AY) concept has been removed and only tax year under the simplified bill has been brought in. Defence Minister on 'Operation Sindoor' The session is likely to see a detailed statement on Operation Sindoor by Defence Minister Rajnath Singh, who held two key meetings on Friday evening with his ministerial colleagues and another with top military brass. Several leaders, including those from the NDA, also want a discussion to highlight the achievements of the government's foreign outreach through various Parliamentary delegations on Operation Sindoor. The government may also field External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar to convey its view in Parliament, sources said. Big uproar by Opposition The INDIA bloc Saturday evening brainstormed on issues of 'national concern' in a virtual meeting, that saw the participation of 24 parties and included Mallikarjun Kharge, Sonia Gandhi, Rahul Gandhi, K C Venugopal, Sharad Pawar, Uddhav Thackeray, Dipankar Bhattacharya (CPI-ML), N K Premachandran (RSP), Abhishek Banerjee (TMC), Tejashwi Yadav (RJD), Ramgopal Yadav (SP), Omar Abdullah (NC), Hemant Soren (JMM) and Tiruchi Siva (DMK). Rahul is learnt to have pushed for a united fight in Parliament. Aam Aadmi Party which had decided to disengage itself from the opposition grouping, did not attend the meeting. Another contentious issue in the session would be the 'attack on migrants across the country'. TMC's Banerjee, CPI (ML)'s Bhattacharya, and other netas highlighted that migrants from Bengal and other regions were being attacked. They linked it to the voters' review. The discussion on migrants and voters rolls in the meeting suggests opposition may be unrelenting on the SIR. BJP is sure to return fire by saying that the scrutiny of voters was consistent with the Constitution which lays down that only Indian citizens have the right to vote, and by accusing the oppoosition of trying to shield infiltrators from Bangladesh as part of their 'votebank politics'. Amid the differences between the govt and the opposition, a rare bipartisanship will see the Lok Sabha bring a motion to impeach Justice Yashwant Varma for alleged corruption. But even here, a fresh faultline is the pendency of the impeachment notice submitted by the opposition against Justice Shekhar Yadav of Allahahad HC for 'hate speech'. While the opposition is pushing for Yadav's sacking, the govt is reluctant to entertain it.
