In Greifswald, Lady Liberty Lifts a Finger

Angela Merkel was no doubt trying to put her best foot forward when she invited US President George W. Bush to pay a visit to her electoral district in the former East Germany. She saw it as a good chance to show the man from Texas just how far the ex-Iron Curtain region had come since the Berlin Wall fell.

To Bush, it probably also looked like a no-brainer. At worst, a visit to eastern Germany would be a chance to throw the spotlight off of America's quagmire in Iraq; at best it would reignite the image of the US as post-war friend-in-need to a shunned Germany, the upholder of freedom and democracy in the darkest of times.

One-fingered salute

But then Lady Liberty stepped in to confuse matters. In the Baltic Sea town of Greifswald, just 30 kilometers (18 miles) from the town Bush is set to visit, a theater company has built an enormous mock-up of the Statue of Liberty, right arm, as ever, raised high.

There's just one problem: instead of holding a flaming torch, this statuesque dame has lifted her middle finger in a salute known on both sides of the Atlantic as anything but friendly and welcoming.

Exactly the opposite, in fact.

The enormous statue -- whose breasts can open and close for dramatic purposes -- is part of the set for an outdoor production of the 1960s anti-war musical "Hair," slated to start its run at the Baltic Sea Theater Festival the day before Bush's visit.

Now, the statue and her offensive gesture are causing a minor uproar, pitting politicians and businessmen against artists and activists.

Comparisons welcome

Conservative politicians and populist newspapers have called the statute shocking and tasteless, and are calling for its removal.

For their part, the folks at the Theater Vorpomerania retort that their anti-war play and its intentionally provocative set were planned long before any son of George Bush had agreed to come to their area -- indeed, before Merkel was even elected chancellor.

They argue that the musical is about the Vietnam-era America of the 1960s, not the America of today. But they admit -- perhaps a little smugly -- that they are powerless to stop people from drawing comparisons.

Meanwhile, the conservative General Secretary of Mecklenburg Vorpomerania, Lorenz Caffier, told Germany's Tagesschau news Internet site that the "middle finger must go." The US President should feel at home here, he said, adding that "artistic freedom" can surely take a backseat to politesse. At least for a day or two.

Good for business, or bad?

Commercial interests in the area may also be getting nervous. Visits by heads of state are often seen as a chance to attract investors. But does that hold true when the targeted investors are being told to … well… take a hike?

For their part, the theater directors note it is up to the audience to decide who or what the offending finger is aimed at. As far as commerce goes, they realize the uproar around the presidential visit represents unheard of publicity -- and quite possibly a spike in ticket sales.