Bassam el-Shamaa demands removal of demeaning Champollion statue

CAIRO - 10 June 2020: Researcher Bassam el-Shamaa said that Egypt should make use of the current demonstrations in America and England demanding the removal of statues of racist figures to demand the removal of the statue of infamous Champollion.

Furthermore, Shamaa referred that the French sculptor Bartholdi who designed the Champollion statue is also the sculptor of the Statue of Liberty in New York, describing this as a ‘strange contradiction’ and wondering how one can design a statue calling for freedom and at the same time design a statue calling for racism.

Also, Shamaa indicated that he sees Champollion as an "archeology thief", because he illegally brought out many Egyptian antiquities which were later placed in the Louvre Museum in Paris. Shamma also said this unfortunate fact is documented in the National Library and Archives.

Moreover, Shamaa pointed out that the goal of designing the Champollion statue in this way is to assure the whole world that he defeated the ancient Egyptians; however, the statue was sculpted in a demeaning way that provoked the feelings of Egyptians, especially after deciphering the codes of the Rosetta Stone.


Controversial Champollion statue - ET