Roubaix Mural Shows Statue of Liberty Hiding Face in Protest of U.S. Policies

A new 15-metre-tall mural entitled “The Statue of Liberty’s Silent Protest” has been completed on a former textile warehouse in Roubaix, northern France. Painted by Dutch street artist Judith de Leeuw, the work shows the Statue of Liberty burying her face in her hands. The piece was finished and unveiled on 3 July, one day before the United States celebrates Independence Day. De Leeuw said she chose the pose to convey that “the weight of the world has become too heavy to witness,” explaining that the mural is a critique of U.S. immigration policies under President Donald Trump and a reminder of the monument’s original symbolism of welcome to migrants. Roubaix, which hosts one of France’s largest migrant populations, backed the six-day project as part of a programme that brings large-scale public art to disused industrial façades. Local officials said the timing and imagery were intended to spark debate rather than offend, while conservative commentators in both Europe and the U.S. dismissed the work as partisan provocation. The Statue of Liberty, a gift from France to the United States in 1886, remains a potent reference point in trans-Atlantic discussions of freedom and migration.