A giant banner reading “Refugees Welcome” was draped at the feet of Lady Liberty by a group of activists Tuesday, a message that spread quickly across the Internet as park authorities rushed to remove it.
The red and white banner, measuring 3 ft by 20 ft, was unfurled across the edge of the Statue of Liberty observation deck on Tuesday afternoon, USA Today reports, shortly after the Department of Homeland Security announced new immigration rules that could result in sweeping deportations.
Resist! Activists in New York put a giant #RefugeesWelcome banner across the Statue of Liberty today. https://t.co/ToQQzdSbhH pic.twitter.com/nonpFYhD5w
— Women's March (@womensmarch) February 21, 2017
Activist group Alt Lady Liberty has claimed responsibility for installing the banner, telling CNN in an email that the act was meant as a “reminder” that welcoming immigrants and refugees is integral to America’s core values.
“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,” the group told CNN. “Refugees are welcome here, Muslims are welcome here and immigrants are welcome here.”
For more on Trump’s immigration policy, watch Fortune’s video:
Park regulations prohibit appending anything to the statue, though the banner hung in place for more than an hour before the National Park Service removed it, according to the Associated Press.
That was enough time for images to spread across the Internet, as visitors and other activist groups including the Women’s March and Occupy Wall Street shared the message on social media. A Twitter account named Alt Lady Liberty was also recently created, and has been sharing images and related articles.
The message of the Statue of Liberty is unmistakable.
This banner ought to make it clear 2 @realDonaldTrump #RefugeesWelcome#NoBanNoWall pic.twitter.com/ZSpg4uB9Qg
— Alt Lady Liberty (@AltStatLiberty) February 21, 2017
Tuesday’s display was the latest act in a wave of public opposition to President Donald Trump’s hardline immigration policies, which were a core promise of his election campaign. Upon taking office, Trump’s executive order banning refugees and travel from seven predominantly Muslim countries—an initiative that is currently being blocked by a federal court—sparked nationwide protests.
