MAGA Blast French Over Lady Liberty Shame Mural
The large anti-Trump painting’s unveiling coincides with America’s Independence Day.
The Daily Beast/ jdlstreetart/Instgram
Donald Trump supporters are freaking out after a towering mural of Lady Liberty covering her face in shame was unveiled in France.
The painting, located in the northern city of Roubaix, is titled “The Statue of Liberty’s Silent Protest.” Dutch artist Judith de Leeuw spent six days creating the mural showcasing a stinging twist on the iconic monument France gifted to the U.S. after the Civil War to commemorate the nations’ alliance.
De Leeuw told Storyful that the mural reflects the “shame” she feels over Trump’s hardline immigration policies, which have resulted in thousands of migrants being deported.
“Roubaix has a large migrant population, and many of them live in extremely difficult circumstances. The values that the statue once stood for—freedom, hope, the right to be yourself—have been lost for many,” de Leeuw said.
A bronze plaque inside the Statue of Liberty reads, "Give me your tired, your poor, your huddled masses yearning to breathe free."
Roy Rochlin/Getty Images
She noted that unveiling the piece on July 4, as Americans celebrate Independence Day, was a “meaningful coincidence.”
However, a number of MAGA figures have shown disdain for the mural after images and videos of it were widely shared on social media.
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“This disgusts me. If any country ought to be kissing our ass, it’s France,” Tennessee Rep. Tim Burchett posted on X. “My Uncle Roy fought and died and is buried there for their freedom.”
Libs of TikTok, the often hateful account run by Chaya Raichik, wrote: “New mural in France depicts Lady Liberty covering her face in shame. The artist says it’s because of our immigration policies. It’s not shameful to deport criminal illegal aliens and secure our border! This artist has a sad case of TDS [Trump Derangement Syndrome].”
One pro-Trump account called the artwork “disgusting.”
“There are American families that lost loved ones fighting for France. A lot of American warriors are buried there, trying to help save France. Which is why they gifted us Lady Liberty. The media is just as bad posting this kind of TRASH on July 4th,” it added.
Another “America First” account slammed the mural as “blatant disrespect towards America.”
The mural was created to show opposition to Donald Trump's immigration policies.
Nathan Howard/REUTERS
De Leeuw, however, said locals in Roubaix have embraced the piece and its pro-immigration message.
On Instagram, she wrote that the Statue of Liberty was gifted to the U.S. to “honor the right to freedom for all.”
“But today, that freedom feels out of reach. Not for everyone. Not for migrants. Not for those pushed to the margins, silenced, or unseen,” she wrote.
“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.”
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