[h=2]Police swoop to grab woman wearing a 'Rise and Resist' t-shirt who climbed the Statue of Liberty on Independence Day and stayed there for two hours, as ICE protesters below unfurled an 'Abolish Ice' banner[/h]
Police on ladders spoke to the woman, identified as 45-year-old Therese Okoumou, just after 4.30pm but she refused to come down, so officers constructed a rope rescue system to remove her from the base of the iconic New York Harbor landmark against her will. At 6.30pm, officers were seen grabbing Okoumou (top) before attaching her to the ropes and leading her around the statue base and down a ladder. Earlier, Okoumou was seen waving a t-shirt saying 'Rise and Resist' and 'Trump Care Makes Us Sick' (bottom) as up to 4,500 tourists were evacuated from Liberty Island as a precaution. The protester, who came from the Democratic Republic of Congo 10 years ago and has since been living in Staten Island, was wearing the t-shirt when she was taken down the ladder.
Police on ladders spoke to the woman, identified as 45-year-old Therese Okoumou, just after 4.30pm but she refused to come down, so officers constructed a rope rescue system to remove her from the base of the iconic New York Harbor landmark against her will. At 6.30pm, officers were seen grabbing Okoumou (top) before attaching her to the ropes and leading her around the statue base and down a ladder. Earlier, Okoumou was seen waving a t-shirt saying 'Rise and Resist' and 'Trump Care Makes Us Sick' (bottom) as up to 4,500 tourists were evacuated from Liberty Island as a precaution. The protester, who came from the Democratic Republic of Congo 10 years ago and has since been living in Staten Island, was wearing the t-shirt when she was taken down the ladder.
