Einat Kalisch-Rotem, mayor of the Israeli city of Haifa, announced on Wednesday that the crucified “McJesus” sculpture will be returning to Finland, The Times of Israel reported.

“In an agreement with the church leaders, and since the lending agreement for the sculpture ends in the coming days, it will be removed, and returned as soon as possible,” Rotem tweeted.

She included a photo of the contract between the Zetterberg Gallery in Helsinki and the the Haifa museum which stated that the statue would be returned by January 2019.

The art piece arrived to be included in the “Sacred Goods” exhibit in June and is meant to bring awareness to and criticize society’s obsession with capitalism.

Rotem defended the removal of the sculpture in tweets translated by The Times of Israel.

“Without any connection, we believe in freedom of speech as a cornerstone of democracy,” she wrote. “We regret the distress experienced by the Christian community in Haifa, and the physical injury and violence that followed. We thank the heads of the Christian churches and priests in Haifa for the dialogue and desire to bridge, the effort to reach a solution, and to prevent violence.”

The sculpture sparked massive protests among Christian residents, who descended on the museum and clashed with police this week.

Police told the Associated Press that rioters threw a firebomb at the museum and crowds of protesters had to be dispersed using teargas and stun grenades.

Culture and Sport Minister Miri Regev also threatened to withhold funding for the museum unless “McJesus” was removed although the country’s Deputy Attorney General Dana Zilber said Regev does not have that legal authority, The Times of Israel noted.

The Finnish artist behind the “McJesus” sculpture, Jani Leinonen, also called for the piece to be removed because of his support for the boycotts against Israel.

“I joined the Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions (BDS) movement, that upholds the simple principle that Palestinians are entitled to the same rights as the rest of humanity,” Leinonen told the Jerusalem Post. “Israel overtly uses culture as a form of propaganda to whitewash or justify its regime of occupation, settler-colonialism, and apartheid over the Palestinian people. Therefore I do not wish to be part of this exhibition, and I asked the museum to take my artwork off the exhibition.”

Source: https://thehill.com/blogs/blog-briefing-room/news/425992-mcjesus-art-sculpture-to-be-removed-from-israeli-museum-after

The post ‘McJesus’ art sculpture to be removed from Israeli museum after violent protests first appeared on Garner Ted Armstrong Evangelistic Association.

A sculpture of “McJesus” — Jesus modeled as Ronald McDonald — has upset Christians in Israel, where the art remains on display.

Hundreds of Christians in the Middle Eastern country are calling for the art to be removed from the Haifa Museum of Art, where the display has been up for months. It was previously on display in other countries without any issues.

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Police said that rioters who oppose the art have thrown stones and a firebomb at the museum, leaving three officers wounded. Authorities have dispersed the crowds with tear gas and stun grenades.

Nissim Tal, the museum’s director, told The Associated Press that the uproar was sudden. The protests appear to have been sparked by visitors who have shared photos of the exhibit online.

The display in Haifa, Israel is intended to criticize what many view as society’s cult-like worship of capitalism. (AP Photo/Oded Balilty)

The display is intended to be a criticism of capitalism worship.

Amid protests, the museum hung a curtain over the entrance of the exhibit and posted a sign that said the artwork was not intended to offend people.

However, that hasn’t pleased protesters. One, who remained outside the museum on Monday, stood with a sign that read: “Respect religions.”

Amir Ballan, an artist in Haifa and a Christian, said the display is “very offensive” and said protests “won’t be quiet until we reach a solution.”

Jani Leinonen, the Finnish artist behind “McJesus,” has also asked that it be taken down — but for a different reason.

He says he supports Boycott, Divestment, Sanctions, or BDS, a Palestinian-led movement aimed at pressuring Israel to change its policies toward the Palestinians. The group has made significant gains in recent years, persuading a number of foreign artists to cancel performances in Israel.

Tal said the museum won’t remove the display, as they “will be defending freedom of speech, freedom of art, and freedom of culture.”

The Associated Press contributed to this report.

Source: https://www.foxnews.com/world/mcjesus-art-sculpture-at-israeli-museum-upsets-christians

The post ‘McJesus’ art sculpture at Israeli museum upsets Christians, sparks calls for removal first appeared on Garner Ted Armstrong Evangelistic Association.