Statue of Liberty evacuated as woman scales base - several protesters arrested

A woman scaled onto the base of the Statue of Liberty on Wednesday, and is now in police custody along with seven others who were arrested during a protest at the landmark.

Liberty Island had to be evacuated while authorities spent two hours bringing down the protester who climbed to the statue's foot and refused to descend on her own accord.

Anti-Trump group Rise and Resist hosted the demonstration, and its members displayed a banner reading "Abolish ICE" from Lady Liberty's pedestal. But protest organizer Martin Joseph Quinn told CNN that his group had nothing to do with the rogue member's ascension, saying while the protester refused to come down:

"She climbed without our knowledge. It was not part of our action. We are deeply concerned for her safety."

What's this about?

The protest took place along with numerous others around the U.S. on Independence Day, challenging the Trump administration's zero-tolerance policy while calling for the Immigration and Customs Enforcement to be abrogated.

In Aurora, Colorado, roughly 100 demonstrators assembled outside an ICE detention facility, with protest organizer Corey Evans telling the media that "it's kind of ironic that we are taking this day to celebrate freedom when we are enslaving people and holding them in these — essentially — concentration camps."

An immigrant advocacy group, Movimiento Cosecha Grand Rapid,s descended on the Michigan town's Fourth of July parade in another protest, calling the celebration inappropriate.

Member Jose Jimenez said, "We cannot sit here in a parade or watch fireworks and celebrate freedom knowing that our families and children are being incarcerated at the border."

The group held signs reading "We love immigrants," and "No human being is illegal."

But other political issues were also taken up by activist groups on Wednesday. In Atlanta, the NAACP met at southern monument Stone Mountain in hopes of having it destroyed, calling the Mount-Rushmore-type carvings of three Confederate figures "the world's largest shrine to white supremacy."

Anything else?

Fourth of July protests are becoming a trend in America. During a holiday meant to embrace the country's independence, various groups, including numerous politicians and celebrities, staged demonstrations in 2017 as well. Last year, singer Neil Young even released a resistance anthem.

The new holiday tradition appears to be gaining traction. On Tuesday, The New York Times published an opinion piece titled, "Forget the parades. Protest this Fourth of July."