<p>A man in Liberec knocked down a statue of a leopard woman, it had been there for just two days</p>

Liberec - The statue of African-American actress and freedom fighter Josephine Baker lasted only two days at the corner by the Liberec town hall. An inattentive Liberec resident toppled the statue resembling a woman dressed in leopard skin when he embraced it for a photo and pretended to kiss it. The artwork made of vinyl records, filler, and polystyrene is now in the town hall's depot, where it will be sent for repair. This was reported today by the town hall spokesperson Jan Vrabec.
The city ceremoniously unveiled the statue on Friday morning, and the careless resident damaged it on Saturday evening. At that time, the municipal police were supervising the transportation of election materials to the town hall, and thus apprehended the perpetrator immediately. "The man from Liberec wanted to take a picture with the statue, so he embraced it and pretended to kiss it. However, the statue could not bear his weight, it toppled off its pedestal and fell to the ground," said the spokesperson of the Liberec Municipal Police, Daniela Bušková. Whether the man committed an infraction or a criminal act will depend on the extent of the damage incurred.
After the fall, a part of the statue's thigh and the tip of its foot broke off. "The author, Josefína Jonášová, should soon come to repair the damaged artwork," Vrabec stated. It is not yet known when the statue will return to the corner.
Statues have been at the corner by the town hall since 2005. The previous artwork, a group of three cats by Liberec artist Martina Klouzová - Niubo, is also under repair. The group had become a popular attraction among children, and after renovation, it is expected to return to the square in May. Until then, the corner is supposed to belong to Jonášová's artwork.
The statue of Josephine Baker was created by the twenty-eight-year-old artist in honor of this American-French singer, dancer, and actress, who became famous in the last century as one of the first Black women on the silver screen. Baker also earned military recognition as a secret agent in the French Resistance during World War II. Later, she was active in the field of civil rights, refusing to perform before segregated audiences in the USA. The statue is intended to represent Baker's typical dance pose, which has traveled around the world. Provocatively, it has its backside thrust out towards the town hall with a smile.