A local official in Port Said, speaking on condition of anonymity because he was not authorized to talk to reporters, told The Associated Press that no decision has yet been made and that more “public debate" is needed before the statue can be returned. It was later restored by the Paris-based Association des Amis du Canal de Suez, and is now housed in a shipyard in Port Fouad. Turn on desktop notifications for breaking stories about interest? Abdallah el-Senawy, a columnist for el-Shorouk, said the deaths of forced laborers during the canal's construction was a “racist crime that requires accountability, condemnation, and an apology.". To enable Verizon Media and our partners to process your personal data select 'I agree', or select 'Manage settings' for more information and to manage your choices. We and our partners will store and/or access information on your device through the use of cookies and similar technologies, to display personalised ads and content, for ad and content measurement, audience insights and product development. The statue was destroyed by Egyptian fighters amid the 1956 Mideast War, when Israeli forces pushed into Egypt toward the Suez Canal after Egyptian President Gamal Abdel Nasser nationalized the canal. Around 10% of the world’s trade flows through the waterway, which is one of Egypt’s top foreign currency earners. (AP Photo, File). Yahoo is part of Verizon Media. The Egyptian government registered the statue as an artifact in 2019. Lawmaker Mustafa Bakry on Monday condemned the proposal. We and our partners will store and/or access information on your device through the use of cookies and similar technologies, to display personalised ads and content, for ad and content measurement, audience insights and product development. It was later restored by the Paris-based Association des Amis du Canal de Suez, and is now housed in a shipyard in Port Fouad. The canal was officially opened on Nov. 17, 1869. In 2015, the government of President Abdel-Fattah el-Sissi completed a major expansion of the canal, allowing it to accommodate the world’s largest vessels. The el-Shorouk report said that along with the return of the de Lesseps statue, another statue would be erected next to it, showing an Egyptian farmer, symbolizing the workers who had dug the canal. It was sculpted by Emmanuel Frémiet and was erected on November 17, 1899. To enable Verizon Media and our partners to process your personal data select 'I agree', or select 'Manage settings' for more information and to manage your choices. You can change your choices at any time by visiting Your Privacy Controls. The debate started when a newspaper reported in June 2020 that local authorities in the Mediterranean province of Port Said were thinking of returning the statue to where it once stood at the northern entrance of the canal. Plan to bring back Suez Canal statue stirs debate in Egypt, Plan to retrieve Titanic radio spurs debate on human remains, Rapper brags about defrauding government in video gets arrested for actually doing it, US schedules 1st federal execution of woman in nearly 70 years, Mom missing for 12 days in Zion National Park found safe, FILE - In this Dec. 24, 1956 file photo, Egyptian civilians climb on the statue of Ferdinand de Lesseps, the French diplomat who was behind the construction of Egypt's Suez Canal, in Port Said, prior to blowing it up. Information about your device and internet connection, including your IP address, Browsing and search activity while using Verizon Media websites and apps. The statue was destroyed by Egyptian fighters amid the 1956 Mideast War, when Israeli forces pushed into Egypt toward the Suez Canal after Egyptian President Gamal Abdel Nasser nationalized the canal. The Suez Canal (Arabic: قناة السويس ‎ qanāt as-suwēs) is an artificial sea-level waterway in Egypt, connecting the Mediterranean Sea to the Red Sea through the Isthmus of Suez.It is often considered to define the border between Africa and Asia.Constructed by the Suez Canal Company between 1859 and 1869, it officially opened on 17 November 1869. Find out more about how we use your information in our Privacy Policy and Cookie Policy. At the very northern end of Sharia Palestine is this large stone plinth that once held a statue of Ferdinand de Lesseps, until it was torn down in 1956 with the nationalisation of the Suez Canal… Information about your device and internet connection, including your IP address, Browsing and search activity while using Verizon Media websites and apps. The debate started when the daily el-Shorouk reported last month that local authorities in the Mediterranean province of Port Said were thinking of returning the statue of Ferdinand de Lesseps to where it once stood, at the northern entrance of the canal. 24/7 coverage of breaking news and live events. The statue was destroyed by Egyptian fighters amid the 1956 Mideast War, when Israeli forces pushed into Egypt toward the Suez Canal after Egyptian President Gamal Abdel Nasser nationalized the canal. The statue was destroyed by Egyptian fighters amid the 1956 Mideast War, when Israeli forces pushed into Egypt toward the Suez Canal after Egyptian president Gamal Abdel Nasser nationalised the canal. It was later restored by the Paris-based Association des Amis du Canal de Suez, and is now housed in a shipyard in Port Fouad. A proposal to bring back the statue has stirred controversy in Egypt with many saying it would be a salute to colonial times and a “humiliation" to the memory of tens of thousands of Egyptian laborers who died while digging the waterway. Hundreds of thousands of Egyptian peasants were drafted into low-wage digging work with hand tools and tens of thousands died before the practice was banned and steam-powered excavators took their place. Find out more about how we use your information in our Privacy Policy and Cookie Policy. In 1956, Nasser nationalized the canal from the British and French companies that owned it, a moment cherished by Egyptians as a defiant break from imperialist control. De Lesseps, who came to Cairo in 1833 as a consul and was later posted to Alexandria, had been inspired by the idea of joining the Red Sea and the Mediterranean. You can change your choices at any time by visiting Your Privacy Controls. A 33-foot bronze statue of de Lesseps by French sculptor Emmanuel Frémiet, was erected in Nov. 1899 at Port Said, showing the diplomat with his right hand extended to welcome visitors entering the Suez Canal, his left holding a map of the canal. The statue of Ferdinand de Lesseps, the French diplomat who was behind the construction of Egypt's Suez Canal, is seen in the harbor of Port Said, Egypt, on December 22, 1956. Britain, France and Israel invaded in response, but were ordered to withdraw by the United States and the Soviet Union, in what was seen across the Arab world as a defining victory for Nasser and Arab nationalism. It was later restored by the Paris-based Association des Amis du Canal de Suez, and is now housed in a shipyard in Port Fouad. Yahoo is part of Verizon Media. CAIRO -- A proposal to bring back the statue of a French diplomat behind the idea to build the Suez Canal has stirred controversy in Egypt, with many saying it would be a salute to colonial times and a “humiliation” to the memory of tens of thousands of Egyptian laborers who died building the waterway in the 1860s. The statue’s right hand welcomes visitors entering the Suez Canal at Port Said, and his left hand holds the map of the canal. He persuaded the Ottoman governor of Egypt to build the canal and in 1859, he symbolically swung a pickax to launch the construction, which took 10 years. The statue was destroyed by Egyptian fighters amid the 1956 Middle East War, when Israeli forces pushed into Egypt toward the Suez Canal after Egyptian President Gamal Abdel Nasser nationalized the canal.