Robert Fico, the Prime Minister of Slovakia, reacted on Thursday to a statue of Donald Trump in the European Parliament, calling the piece a sign of the decline of the entire European Union and demanded its removal.
Criticism of Insulting European Partners
Fico stated in his post on social media platform X that although he does not agree with all of Trump's policies, "insulting our partners in official places indicates a deep failure to understand the times we live in."
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He also expressed concern about whether the leadership of the European Parliament has lost the ability to distinguish between the legitimate right to express opinions and actions stemming from individuals and empty-minded adventurers. Fico asked whether the Parliament would tolerate similar images of the President of France or the Chancellor of Germany.
Details of the Statue and Its Purpose
This statue, known as "The Orange Plague," was unveiled on Tuesday by Danish artist Jens Galschiot in the Parliament building located in Strasbourg. The 2.6-meter tall piece depicts Trump naked and covered in gold, sitting on the shoulders of a frail man while holding a golf club and a scale of justice. A plaque reads: "I sit on the back of a man. He is drowning under my weight."
Galschiot stated that the purpose of this piece is to challenge Trump's policies and initiate a discussion on how to "destroy the only chance the world has to combat the climate disaster."
Pear Klausen, a Member of the European Parliament from Denmark who invited the artist, defended the installation, saying: "If someone is so sensitive that they cannot tolerate this statue, then they have no place on the world stage."
Fico has previously established close ties with Trump and met him in January at Mar-a-Lago to discuss closer cooperation in the field of civilian nuclear energy. He has also praised the "Mega" movement as "a vision that resonates strongly not only in the United States but around the world."
The "Orange Plague" statue has previously been displayed at protests in Copenhagen and at the COP30 summit in Brazil, and it is set to be shown at the COP31 conference in Antalya, Turkey. Trump has not yet commented on this installation.
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