Heroes Put “Refugees Welcome” Banner On The Statue Of Liberty

Cher Horowitz reminded America in the 1990s that it doesn't say RSVP on the Statue of Liberty. Today, activists made sure that it does say "Refugees Welcome." A group calling itself Alt Lady Liberty unfurled a giant red-and-white banner reaffirming the American value of acceptance of tired, poor, huddled masses, etc. The banner was hung by four activists around 12:45 p.m. local time. The National Parks Service tore it down around three hours later, just before 4 p.m. Here's a photo.

The group reached out to CNN with an emailed statement. "Almost all Americans have descendants from somewhere else. Immigrants and refugees make this country great. And turning away refugees, like we did to Anne Frank, does not make us great. Refugees are welcome here, Muslims are welcome here and immigrants are welcome here. And it's not just our ancestors. Every American knows an immigrant or a refugee. We wanted to send a reminder about America when we're at our best -- the country that's a beacon of freedom to the world, built by immigrants. Walling off countries or entire religions is against our values. That's what the Statue of Liberty stands for." The New York Post interviewed the group's "idea man," David. He told the publication that he is explicitly responding to Donald Trump's Muslim Ban. “This is personal to me — my grandparents met in a refugee camp after World War II, and my mother immigrated,” David told the Post. Alt Lady Liberty told NBC News that they're a loosely affiliated collective of citizens, not a formal group. The National Parks Service, which is no fun, will be launching an investigation. “Affixing a banner to the national monument is strictly prohibited, and an investigation is underway by the United States Park Police to identify suspects,” officials said in a statement. Donald Trump's redraft of the Muslim Ban executive order is due out sometime this week.