July 09, 2020: A wooden sculpture of US first lady Melania Trump was set on fire near her hometown of Sevnica, Slovenia, on the night of July 4th, as Americans celebrated US Independence Day, said the artist who commissioned the sculpture.

Brad Downey, a Berlin-based American artist, said that he had the life-sized blackened, disfigured sculpture removed as soon as police informed him on July 5th.

Downey said, "I want to know why they did it,", who had hoped the statue would foster a dialogue about the political situation in the United States, highlighting Melania Trump's status as an immigrant married to a President sworn to reduce immigration.

Downey said he had filed a police report and would like to interview the culprits, if found, for a film he is preparing ahead of his exhibition due to open in Slovenia in September.

In Washington, the office of Melania Trump did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

In recent weeks, President Donald Trump has pledged to take a hard line on anyone destroying or vandalising US historical monuments, as political activism against racial injustice has swept across the country.