UPDATE: Ronald Reagan statue unveiled in Berlin near site of Cold War speech

US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo will unveil a statue of former US President Ronald Reagan at the US Embassy on Friday, The Wall Street Journal reported Thursday.

Pompeo is in the German capital to commemorate the fall of the Berlin Wall.

Reagan, who passed away in 2004, became an honorary citizen of the city in 1992. Local officials felt that was sufficient.

However, following a proposal by US Ambassador Richard Grenell, the German capital is getting a bronze image of the former president anyway.

For over 10 years, the United States has wanted to honor Reagan with a statue in Berlin. However, the administration of the capital had till now rejected numerous applications from US officials and dignitaries.

Mixed reactions Berlin

Berliners had mixed reactions to the new statue. One older woman told DW that she did not mind a statue of Reagan as the US had been a "protecting power" over West Germany. But a man in his 30s told DW he was opposed to the statue.

"I wouldn't be too happy to connect the fall of the Berlin Wall to Ronald Reagan because he was quite a conservative president," he said. "He made the Cold War much more intense than it was before."

Despite this, the United States went ahead with plans to erect a 7-foot (2.1-meter) statue of the late head of state on the balcony of their Berlin embassy. It overlooks the site of the old Berlin Wall and the Reichstag building that houses the German Parliament, the exact spot where Reagan gave a speech in 1987 where he called on Soviet counterpart Mikhail Gorbachev to join forces to reunify Germany and "tear down this Wall."

Suspect statues — when monuments raised eyebrows He was back Champion bodybuilder and ex-California governor Arnold Schwarzenegger has a statue in front of the house where the Austrian actor was born, in the southern Austrian village of Thal. In October 2011, Schwarzenegger returned to his hometown to officially open a museum dedicated to his life, the contents of which includes memorabilia, statues and even dumbbells.

Suspect statues — when monuments raised eyebrows Question Marx The German philosopher Karl Marx once said: "Surround yourself with people who make you happy." But not everyone was pleased when China gifted a statue of the socialist revolutionary in 2018 to his hometown of Trier to celebrate his 200th birthday. A German group representing victims of Communism said at the time: "We say yes to a debate about Marx, but no to his worship."

Suspect statues — when monuments raised eyebrows Head wrong A bust of footballer Cristiano Ronaldo was met with mirth at its unveiling in 2017. The Portuguese star's head was designed by artist Emanuel Santos to commemorate an airport being renamed after him in Madeira. However, it looked nothing like the ex-Real Madrid forward which sparked many amusing memes on social media. The bust was replaced by a more representative impression a year later.

Suspect statues — when monuments raised eyebrows Bad A statue of Michael Jackson, commissioned by Fulham F.C. owner Mohamed Al Fayed, was unveiled outside the club's stadium to a mixed reaction in 2011. The decision made the club a "laughing stock" according to fans. Al Fayed responded defiantly saying: "If some stupid fans don't understand and appreciate such a gift this guy gave to the world, they can go to hell." In 2013, the statue was removed. Author: John Silk



Natalia Smolentceva contributed to this report.

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