A prominent civic leader in Essex has accused the county council of censoring Christian artwork in a public library.
Sir Bob Russell, the town's High Steward, was speaking after the council decided to take down a wooden sculpture depicting Jesus on the cross and a soldier stabbing a child with a spear - a reference to King Herod's order for all infants in Bethlehem to be killed when Jesus was born - because it could upset children.
The sculpture, called Crucifixion of Mankind, was originally created in 1961 by Connor Barrett and given to the library in Colchester.
According to the Mail on Sunday, Mr Russell said: "The excuse that some people do not like it is not a reason for its removal.
"This is censorship, which is bad enough anywhere but not in a public library."
Andrea Williams from Christian Concern told the paper: "The decision to remove this piece of art which depicts the Christian story demonstrates ignorance of history and our nation's Christian cultural heritage."
Crucifixion of Mankind is currently in storage and Essex County Council has pledged to re-hang the sculpture in another place where the public can see it.
A Monthly Gift Of $11 Makes A World Of Difference
In a world of fake news there’s never been a greater need for quality Christian journalism. Premier’s mission is to provide the Church with the most up to date and relevant news, told from a Christian perspective. But we can’t do it without you.
Unlike many websites we haven't put up a paywall — we want to keep our journalism free at the point of need and as open as we can. Premier’s news output takes a lot of time, money and hard work to produce. No one in the USA is sharing news like we are across radio, magazines and online so please help us to continue that today.
For a monthly gift of $11 or more we’d also be able to send you a free copy of the brand new Premier Bible, a wonderful Anglicised version of the NLT packed with exclusive bonus content, reading plan and resources to help you get the most out of scripture.
Your monthly support will make a world of difference. Thank you.
Support Us
Article by Aaron James
Tola Mbakwe is a multimedia journalist for Premier.