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![]() Wednesday, November 11, 1998 Published at 14:35 GMT ![]() ![]() UK ![]() Churchill returns to Paris ![]() A workman puts the finishing touches to the statue ![]()
The ceremony was held on the 80th anniversary of the signing of the Armistice which ended World War I. The £250,000 statue - which was paid for by donations by the French public - has been erected on the Avenue Winston Churchill.
The Queen, speaking in French, said Churchill had always loved France but conceded "relations between Churchill and de Gaulle were not always very easy. But they always knew that Great Britain and France had a lot in common."
The 10ft high (3.2m) statue by French sculptor Jean Cardot is made of bronze and weighs two-and-a-half tonnes. Churchill is now one of the few foreigners to have his likeness on display in Paris. Money has been found Some British newspapers have claimed the French have been less than enthusiastic in funding the statue.
But Brian Reeve, the expatriate businessman who dreamed up the idea, told the BBC's Paris Correspondent, Kevin Connolly, that they had all the money they needed.
Large and small donations
Mr Cardot said: "I wanted to show Churchill's strength, his determination, and also his humour. "This is a man on the move, a man who won't stop." Churchill, known as "The Lion" in France, will stand next to Georges Clemenceau, the French Prime Minister during World War I, who was known as "The Tiger".
Mr Reeve, 62, said: "This is a message for the young generations. "As a child I suffered the Blitz in London and I have vivid memories of Churchill walking the streets. He brought us courage. Even as kids we were very, very, very impressed." Mr Reeve said he had received encouragement from the French President Jacques Chirac - himself a Gaullist - in 1993 when he was Mayor of Paris. Not all are in favour
They find it hard to forget his decision to scuttle the Vichy French fleet in Tunisia rather than let it fall into the hands of the Nazis. He is also remembered for ordering Allied bombing of occupied France, which led to many French deaths.
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