Los Angeles’s Iranian-American community gifted the City of Angels with the “Freedom Sculpture” on July 4 as an homage to the historic Persian empire, and a statement in favor of human rights.
The 20,000-pound piece of intricately crafted gold and silver metal is fashioned after the ancient Cyrus Cylinder sculpture and is located on Santa Monica Boulevard. It is reportedly a permanent addition to the area, which is home to the largest Iranian population outside of Iran.
Ali Razi, the founding chairman of the L.A.-based Farhang Foundation — which was behind the Freedom Sculpture — told the Los Angeles Times that the Cyrus Cylinder has particularly special meaning on the Fourth of July. “This conqueror, rather than killing or stealing, let people practice their own religion,” he said of King Cyrus. “He was the first to put together a multinational empire based on freedom of religion.”
Razi, 77, is a prominent real estate developer and reportedly unveiled the sculpture on behalf of the Iranian-American community.
“We’re calling it the Statue of Liberty for the West Coast,” Farhad Mohit, who is on the board of the Farhang Foundation, told local ABC News affiliate in Los Angeles. “It’s a monument to what we embody here in Los Angeles. It’s a monument to diversity, human rights.”
A video previewing the historic unveiling of the Freedom Sculpture features L.A. Mayor Eric Garcetti, the city’s first Jewish mayor.
The sculpture was created by renowned artist Cecil Balmond. The Farhang Foundation also created a video last year explaining the history behind the Cyrus Cylinder:
Social media was full of tweets celebrating the unveiling of the Freedom Sculpture at the annual Freedom Festival.
Waiting for the doors to open for the unveiling of the #FreedomSculpture by @farhangfound pic.twitter.com/zQnpuuOlL1
— Kayhan Life (@KayhanLife) July 5, 2017
50K already filling up Santa Monica Blvd for #FreedomSculpture #4thofJuly pic.twitter.com/GP3LURirJU
— Esfandiar Behrouz (@surfslasher) July 5, 2017
This video shows the moment the sculpture was unveiled to the world:
Unforgettable & historic #4thofJuly #LosAngeles 70,000+ in attendance for #FreedomSculpture proud #Angeleno #IranianAmerican @MayorOfLA pic.twitter.com/vTVRXqcAMG
— Bita Milanian (@BitaMilanian) July 5, 2017
The Freedom Sculpture unveiling in Los Angeles, CA – Happy 4th of July #IndepenceDay #FreedomSculpture pic.twitter.com/nNl6yZCdgJ
— Angela Cohan (@angelacohan) July 5, 2017
#FreedomSculpture just surpassed over 1 MILLION supporters from over 50 countries! Thank you, lend your name now at https://t.co/tbOOdb9SlU pic.twitter.com/vNNX4RU8x5
— Farhang Foundation (@farhangfound) June 3, 2017
Adelle Nazarian is a politics and national security reporter for Breitbart News. Follow her on Facebook and Twitter
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