July 7, 2025
Leeuw said revealing the work on the 4th of July was also intentional as the Statue of Liberty was a birthday gift from France to the United States on July 4, 1884.
As America celebrated Independence Day, France revealed a bold depiction of the Statue of Liberty to express its disdain for what is happening in the land of the free and home of the brave, BuzzFeed reports.
The mural, titled “The Statue of Liberty’s Silent Protest,” was created by Dutch artist Judith de Leeuw on a building in the city of Roubaix. Seen by more than 16 million people, the goal of the viral mural is to illustrate the “shame” of the Trump administration’s controversial immigration policies, with Lady Liberty covering her face with her hands and her torch lying on her chest.
With the mural’s location being intentional, Leeuw chose Roubaix due to its “large migrant population” who live day to day with difficult circumstances. “The values that the statue once stood for — freedom, hope, the right to be yourself — have been lost for many,” the artist said.
Leeuw said that revealing the work on the 4th of July was also intentional, as the Statue of Liberty was a birthday gift from France to the United States on July 4, 1884, as a way to celebrate the country’s independence and democracy. However, given the turn of events over the last six months of President Donald Trump’s second term, feelings have changed.
The timing of the mural came hours after Trump signed the “Big, Beautiful Bill” — a GOP-supported legislation that is getting massive backlash for its cuts to Medicaid, additional funding for border security, and tax benefits for the country’s wealthy one percent. American voters seemed to support the artwork, laughing at how America has become an international joke.
“I feel this right to my core,” one social media user wrote.
Another social media user decided to give America both a history and math lesson. The Trump administration and others were pinpointing Independence Day 2025 as America’s 250th birthday. However, the math isn’t mathing.
”It’s July 4th, and this sums up how I feel. Not only shame, but also fear of being seen. Will we even be able to make it to our 250th anniversary on July 4th, 2026… God help us all,” another user said.
Of course, several people used the opportunity to spout racist rhetoric toward the French nation, dragging issues of homelessness and anti-Muslim views into it.
This isn’t the first time other countries have mocked the United States for its radical ideologies. According to The Guardian, artist and British immigrant Izaac Zevalking showcased a mural of the Statue of Liberty, handcuffed and slammed on the hood of a U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) police car in downtown Las Vegas in 2019.
The artwork came days after then-Citizenship and Immigration Services Director Ken Cuccinelli suggested making an amendment to the sonnet inscribed on the statue to read: “Give me your tired and your poor who can stand on their own two feet and who will not become a public charge.”
RELATED CONTENT: New Jersey’s Misplaced Focus: 77-Year-Old Assata Shakur Tops The State’s Most Wanted List
