The French Honors Statue Of Liberty Sculptor In NYC

A ceremony commemorating the most famous gift from the French, honored Frederic Auguste Bartholdi today, 03 OCT 2004, at the Statue of Liberty on the 100th anniversary of it's creator's death.

Richard Riehm, said the Statue of Liberty reminds people of the United States' contribution to liberty worldwide.

"In the shadow of Miss Liberty we cannot forget what we owe to the American soldiers who gave us back our freedom on two occasions, 1917 and 1944, 60 years ago," Riehm said.

Richard Riehm is deputy mayor of Colmar, the city in France where Bartholdi, the sculptor of the Statue of Liberty, was born.


Richard Riehm, left, Mayor of Comar, in the Alsace region of France, birthplace of Statue of Liberty sculptor Frederic Auguste Bartholdi, Francois Brunagel, center, president of the International Union of Alsatians, and Adrien Zeller, President of the Regional Council of Alsace, chat on a boat before arriving at the Statue of Liberty.
Andre Ferrara, in the picture on the right, a French war veteran born in Marseilles, holds the American flag during a commemoration of the 100th anniversary of the death of Statue of Liberty sculptor Frederic Auguste Bartholdi, Sunday,Oct, 3, 2004, at the Statue of Liberty in New York.

Excerpts from main story

The ceremony commemorating France's most famous gift to the United States also was a celebration of Franco-American friendship, which degenerated into name-calling and "freedom fries" after France declined to support the U.S.-led war in Iraq.

The ceremony took place on Liberty Island, where the statue was reopened to visitors two months ago after the Sept 11, 2001, terror attacks forced it to close.

Maybe we can call a truce on French-bashing. This Richard Riehm, among other Frenchmen, did come here to participate in the ceremony, even though they may know of the sentiments Americans feel towards the French in this day and time.

Read the entire article here.






[edit on 3/10/04 by Intelearthling]

Maybe we can call a truce on nation-bashing, period. I think that both countries still understand the ideals that led that gift from France to the United States in 1889, the 100th anniversary of the French Revolution. I hope it leads to a spirit of better understanding.

And btw... it's Colmar, France.