Statue

The statue drew instant derision online, with commentators comparing it to the golden calf that enraged the prophet Moses in the Old Testament.

Many prominent American Jews were also included in the list.

Pictures from the event show family members and officials posing next to the statue and even kissing it, while some participants stopped to take a selfie with the wax figurine.

The bronze statue - reaching a height of five meters and weighing six tons - was named 'Gibor Israel' (Israel's hero), which refers to a decoration for valor received in the IDF.

“Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg selflessly pursued truth and justice in a world of division, giving voice to the voiceless and uplifting those who were pushed aside," Gov. Andrew Cuomo said.

The statue was torched by unknown perpetrators while on show in the open air near her birth place Sevnica, on July 4.

South Dakota's governor was convinced he was joking. "I started laughing," she said, but "he wasn't laughing... he was totally serious."

Artist Jim Sanborn knew that some of the world's greatest intelligence officers of the time would be passing by his piece every day, so he decided to create a work of art that would challenge them.

Democrats said they hoped the legislation would win bipartisan support.

Thousands of protesters have marched across the United States and Europe calling for the removal of monuments seen as glorifying the imperialist nature of countries such as Britain.