U.S. first lady Melania Trump statue set on fire in Slovenia

[webfact]

U.S. first lady Melania Trump statue set on fire in Slovenia

By Marja Novak

 

FILE PHOTO: A life-sized wooden sculpture of U.S. first lady Melania Trump is officially unveiled in Rozno, near her hometown of Sevnica, Slovenia, July 5, 2019. REUTERS/Borut Zivulovic/File Photo

 

ROZNO, Slovenia (Reuters) - A wooden sculpture of U.S. first lady Melania Trump was torched near her hometown of Sevnica, Slovenia, on the night of July Fourth, as Americans celebrated U.S. Independence Day, said the artist who commissioned the sculpture.

 

Brad Downey, a Berlin-based American artist, told Reuters he had the life-sized blackened, disfigured sculpture removed as soon as police informed him on July 5th of the incident.

 

"I want to know why they did it," said Downey, who had hoped the statue would foster a dialogue about the political situation in the United States, highlighting Melania Trump's status as an immigrant married to a president sworn to reduce immigration.

 

In Washington, the office of Melania Trump did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

 

In recent weeks, President Donald Trump has pledged to take a hard line on anyone destroying or vandalizing U.S. historical monuments, as political activism against racial injustice has swept across the country.

 

Downey, 39, said he had filed a police report and would like to interview the culprits, if found, for a film he is preparing ahead of his exhibition due to open in Slovenia in September.

 

"The investigation in this case has not been completed yet so we cannot reveal details due to the interest of further procedures," police spokeswoman Alenka Drenik told Reuters.

 

Although the statue’s face was rough-hewn and unrecognizable prior to the fire, the figure was painted with a pale blue wraparound coat resembling the one Melania Trump wore at the swearing in of her husband U.S. President Donald Trump.

 

The figure was carved with a chainsaw by local folk artist Ales Zupevc from the trunk of a living linden tree.

 

In January, a large wooden statue resembling Donald Trump, designed by a local artist last year, was burnt in Slovenia's city of Moravce, east of the capital Ljubljana.

 

(Reporting by Marja Novak and Borut Zivulovic; Editing by Diane Craft)

 

-- © Copyright Reuters 2020-07-09

 

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[rabas]

Melania is hot!

[Paiman]

Another tragedy.       I do like her calves.

[mtls2005]

1 hour ago, webfact said:

Brad Downey, a Berlin-based American artist, told Reuters he had the life-sized blackened, disfigured sculpture removed as soon as police informed him on July 5th of the incident.

 

Yeah, blackface is never a good look.

 

 

[mike787]

She is super hot....amazing beauty and wisdom.

Edited July 9, 2020 by mike787

[johnpetersen]

20 minutes ago, mike787 said:

She is super hot....amazing beauty and wisdom.

So wise to claim an imaginary degree in architecture. Be Best, Ms. Trump!

[mike787]

2 minutes ago, johnpetersen said:

So wise to claim an imaginary degree in architecture. Be Best, Ms. Trump!

I want her so bad...I take here the way she is. Give her to me.

[simple1]

Solvenia is Slavic with some strong pro Russian elements - guess it has something to do with destroying her and trump's statues.

[TallGuyJohninBKK]

Just goes to show you that Trump wasn't always against ALL illegal aliens coming to the U.S. -- especially those who were hot female models at the time that he could grab by the you know where...

 

 

[bendejo]

She probably paid somebody to destroy the ugly thing. 

 

 

[PETERTHEEATER]

2 hours ago, webfact said:

I want to know why they did it," said Downey,

Because a Washington based newspaper once described her as 'hot'......

[TooBigToFit]

She didn't burn because she's stone cold.

[GinBoy2]

The fact of whether she's hot or not doesn't really interest me.  Yeah she's pretty enough, but so are thousands of other immigrants to the US.

 

The fact that POTUS seems to have a predilection for immigrant wives always fascinates me, given his increasing crusade to curtail legal immigration.

 

It's similar to his tirades about 'chain migration'. The only way Melania's parents, a used car salesman and a textile factory worker got green cards was by Melania petitioning for them. Classic chain migration. I guess it was ok then, but very very bad now!

 

The Donald doesn't get irony, yet his whole family is riddled with it.

 

So a rather ugly statue of Melania gets burnt down, Boo Hoo, it'll probably result in a tweet storm!

[tomazbodner]

Quite honestly, given how ugly that thing was, I wouldn't be surprised if she smuggled herself back to Slovenia and burn that thing down by herself...

[Gillyflower]

16 minutes ago, tomazbodner said:

Quite honestly, given how ugly that thing was, I wouldn't be surprised if she smuggled herself back to Slovenia and burn that thing down by herself...

Totally agree!!  Revolting!!!

[IAMHERE]

Nothing about Melania's coming to America was illegal. She was legal all the way, did the paperwork, jumped thru the hoops, waited in line, did it the legal way.

[simple1]

56 minutes ago, IAMHERE said:

Nothing about Melania's coming to America was illegal. She was legal all the way, did the paperwork, jumped thru the hoops, waited in line, did it the legal way.

Sure, all perfectly legitimate based on her capability to meet the criteria for the EB-1 program.

 

 https://www.newsweek.com/melania-trump-genius-visa-einstein-826431

[Tug]

1 hour ago, simple1 said:

Sure, all perfectly legitimate based on her capability to meet the criteria for the EB-1 program.

 

 https://www.newsweek.com/melania-trump-genius-visa-einstein-826431

Always wondered what she was genius at besides beeing beautiful and btw that totem pole statue was ugly she probably hired someone to burn it 

[A1Str8]

Why they did it? ???????????? North of them are unnecessary and therefore will be removed. That's why

[Maybole]

What did she do to deserve a statue ?

[riclag]

She looks like our lady of Fatima

[katana]

Looks more like Hillary. Maybe it was misidentified.

[Bundooman]

17 hours ago, mike787 said:

She is super hot....amazing beauty and wisdom.

Yup! Just like this statue!

[Bundooman]

3 hours ago, riclag said:

She looks like our lady of Fatima

I agree - but who is the long-haired lady standing between her and the boy?

[rvaviator]

What is that saying again ... 'A dog looks like its owner' .. or is it the other way around ....

 

[Tug]

1 hour ago, rvaviator said:

What is that saying again ... 'A dog looks like its owner' .. or is it the other way around ....

 

Thanks rv I needed a good chuckle sky’s!!!

[mike787]

1 hour ago, rvaviator said:

What is that saying again ... 'A dog looks like its owner' .. or is it the other way around ....

 

Nah!  She is super HOT.  If you have cash, you have a HOT women like her too. 

[Baerboxer]

23 hours ago, Sujo said:

Very average. I guess thats why donald pays hundreds of thousands to <deleted> others.

 

We've yet to see what Creepy Joe's been up to. How's the first case progrssing?

[unblocktheplanet]

Slovenia is one of the few countries still making statues...out of wood!

[metisdead]

Some troll posts have been removed.