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French Statue of Liberty mural hits out at Trump US immigration policy
A new mural shows Lady Liberty covering her eyes, a poignant rebuke of Trump’s immigration stance from her homeland
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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”.
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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,” de Leeuw wrote in a July 4 social media post when Americans were celebrating Independence Day. “What was once a shining symbol of liberty now carries the sorrow of lost meaning.”
Her depiction of the Statue of Liberty, a gift from the French people in the late 1800s, has inspired some sharp criticism.
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