America
Bust of Snowden secretly placed at New York monument
New York, April 7
A bust of Edward Snowden
was secretly placed at a monument to the Revolutionary War fallen in
New York by a group of artists who wanted to pay tribute to the former
National Security Agency analyst.
The "museum-quality" sculpture,
placed on top of a column some eight feet high, was covered with a
tarpaulin shortly after being found by municipal employees on Monday
morning, according to videotape released by several local media outlets.
The
Prison Ship Martyrs Monument is located in Fort Green Park in Brooklyn
and pays tribute to thousands of US Revolutionary War prisoners who died
at the hands of the British during the conflict.
The artists,
who spoke to news website Mashable on condition that their identities
would not be revealed, said that they chose the site because Snowden's
actions -- leaking thousands of secret NSA documents -- were in keeping
with the ideals defended by the 11,000 American troops who died aboard
British prison ships during the war for US independence.
They
said they chose the park to set up the bust because it is "loaded with
significance and meaning and reverence of others". Their act positions
Snowden, they said, "as a continuation of a story that began at the
beginning of this country" and represented by the suffering and fate of
the captured Americans.
"We feel that Snowden's actions really
continue that story," said the artists. "It is built upon a set of
ideals to live freely, not be confined or surveilled or monitored by
your government. You can't have freedom of expression to pursue liberty
if you feel like you're doing it under a watchful eye."
The
unidentified artists said they hoped that the authorities would allow
the bust to remain where they placed it, although they acknowledged that
that probably would not occur.
A spokesperson for the New York
Parks Department told local media that park personnel and police removed
the sculpture, saying that "the erection of any unapproved structure or
artwork in a city park is illegal" and referring further questions to
the police.