'Orange Plague' statue installed outside European Parliament

It is eight and a half feet tall, covered in 23 karat gold leaf, and depicts a naked Donald Trump sitting on the shoulders of a frail-looking man. The statue, called the Orange Plague, is the work of Danish artist Jens Galschot, who was unveiled in the European Parliament in Strasbourg this week. It depicts US President Donald Trump holding a golf club and the scales of justice. And the text on the statue's plinth reads, I am sitting on the back of a man. He is sinking under my burden. I will do anything to help him except stepping down from his back. Shona Murray is Europe correspondent with Euronews and she joins us now. Shona, you're very welcome. What's the story behind the statue?

Well, I think it was put in place by a Danish left-wing MEP talking about the fact that there is a consensus. Well, he believes that Trump is destroying all the things like the international rules-based system and also withdrawing all the supports when it comes to climate change and global warming. And that's what the artist said, that Trump is destroying all the things he believes in and what Europe should stand for. So it was there for two days and not, let's say, a pride of place in the European Parliament, but sort of at the back entrance between the two buildings, between the Commission and the Parliament. And, you know, a lot of people obviously were really interested in it. The artists gave out miniature versions of it for people to hold. But as you can imagine, then there were sort of right wing MEPs who were very critical of it. who said that it was a disgrace. Even the prime minister of Slovakia, Robert Fico, said it showed the decline of Europe, that we shouldn't be insulting Donald Trump that way. And even Barry Cowan, the Fianna Fáil MEP, complained about it as well.

Presumably, in order to display something in the European Parliament, you have to get official approval. This would have had to pass a couple of hurdles

before it could be unveiled. Yes. That's true. And it's interesting because it is so glaring. I mean, it really has to be seen to be believed. The size of it, eight and a half foot tall, as you said, Donald Trump pictured in gold. We know that gold is his favorite color. He's been sort of. adorning the oval office with bits of gold as well. And he's disproportionately sitting on the shoulders of a very, very thin and frail man. This definitely has to go through a process in order to put it somewhere like in the European Parliament. But that doesn't mean that it's an endorsement. And it was only there for two days. But certainly, I mean, it is quite striking. And you'd question, I suppose, you know, those who decided to let this go ahead. At the same time, you know, the idea is that the European Parliament is a place for free expression. And this is a piece of

expressionist art. Unlikely at the same time to improve relations between the US and the EU. There has been coverage of it in the US.

That's right. All the newspapers and Trump hasn't responded to it himself. The artist, though, said, well, Trump likes gold, so I'm sure he'll appreciate that piece. But the picture itself or the statue itself is deeply unflattering. It shows a lot of