10/26/2025
Puerto Rico has been under U.S. control since 1898, and by the 1970s, resistance movements were growing. On October 25, 1977, a group of 30 Puerto Rican nationalists took over the Statue of Liberty to demand an end to U.S. colonial rule over Puerto Rico and to demand the release of five political prisoners (Lo**ta LebrĂłn, Rafael Cancel Miranda, Irvin Flores RodrĂguez, AndrĂ©s Figueroa Cordero, and Oscar Collazo). The activists chose the Statue of Liberty — a symbol of freedom and democracy — to expose the contradiction between the values America celebrates and the reality of its harsh treatment of Puerto Rico.
Disguised as tourists, the group boarded a ferry from Manhattan and once they arrived, they began storming the statue with precision, locking doors, expelling tourists and workers, and taking control of the monument. In a matter of minutes, the group climbed to the crown and raised a massive Puerto Rican flag from the head of Lady Liberty herself. This act of resistance served as a symbol of defiance and liberation that was broadcast around the world. Further proving how Puerto Rico’s freedom was a national concern, the legendary Japanese American internationalist, Yuri Kochiyama, risked her safety and stood with the activists.
After a nine hour siege, the police were able to force their way inside the statue. Knowing that their arrest was inevitable, the protesters chanted slogans of resistance and sang the revolutionary Puerto Rican National Anthem, “La Borinqueña.” The protesters surrendered without violence, remaining unified and proud.
Despite centuries of U.S. colonization, forced migration, economic exploitation, and cultural erasure, Puerto Rican resistance has never been extinguished.
