A new mural in France shows the Statue of Liberty covering her eyes in a swipe at Trump

ROUBAIX France AP 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 U S 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 group as a quiet reminder of what freedom should be She explained freedom feels out of reach for expatriates 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 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 s has inspired various sharp criticism Rep Tim Burchett a Republican lawmaker from Tennessee wrote in an angry post on X that the work disgusts me He announced 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 explained The town stood by the work with its deputy mayor in charge of cultural affairs Fr d ric Lefebvre telling broadcaster France 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 Immigration is one of Trump s strongest issues in community polling in the U S The mural in Roubaix is part of an urban street society festival backed by the town Roubaix is one of the poorest towns in France It was economically devastated by the collapse since the s of its once-flourishing textile industry that used to attract migrant workers from elsewhere in Europe north Africa and beyond Associated Press journalists Ahmad Seir in Amsterdam and John Leicester in Paris contributed Source