Photo Credit: Naomi Osaka/Instagram
Most times, you’ll find Naomi Osaka on the tennis court, racket in hand, delivering powerful shots. But every now and then, though rarely, you’ll see her on X (formerly Twitter), wielding her voice for justice. This time, she’s weighing in on France’s historical debt to Haiti.
It all started when French lawmaker Raphaël Glucksmann posted on X, suggesting that the U.S. should return the Statue of Liberty because some Americans no longer uphold the values it represents.
“Give us back the Statue of Liberty. It was our gift to you. But apparently, you despise her,” he wrote.
Naomi Osaka responded with a question that shifted the conversation entirely:
“Since we’re trying to repossess things, can Haiti get their money back?”
It’s the kind of question that forces people to reckon with history. It’s also a striking moment, one that brings to life the legal principle: He who comes to equity must come with clean hands.
To understand the weight of her words, you have to go back to Haiti’s fight for independence in 1804. After successfully breaking free from French rule, Haiti was forced to pay France an “independence debt” of 150 million gold francs, the price France demanded for the loss of enslaved labour and colonial profits. With warships stationed along Haiti’s coast, the new republic had no choice but to comply. Over a century later, Haiti had paid France 90 million gold francs, through loans taken from a French bank, which charged exorbitant interest rates.
It was a financial burden that stunted the growth of the newly independent country. Instead of investing in its own development, Haiti spent generations repaying a debt that should never have existed. Haiti was also forced to pay its former coloniser for its own freedom — an injustice that many historians consider one of the greatest financial crimes in history.
Today, activists, historians, and figures like Osaka are calling for justice, demanding that France acknowledge the weight of this debt. If Glucksmann believes the Statue of Liberty no longer belongs in America, Osaka’s question lingers: If we’re reclaiming things, isn’t it time for Haiti to get its money back?
Since we’re trying to repossess things, can Haiti get their money back? https://t.co/J20DEl17XQ
— NaomiOsaka大坂なおみ (@naomiosaka) March 17, 2025
