Jani Leinonen, ‘McJesus’ creator, says Haifa exhibit not his choice after Arab Christians protest

Finnish artist Jani Leinonen says his “McJesus” piece was used against his will in a Haifa Museum of Art exhibit, which sparked protests last week.

Haifa’s Arab Christian community was in no mood for a “Happy Meal” last Friday as the museum spotlighted Mr. Leinonen’s sculpture of a crucified Ronald McDonald.

Social media footage of their protests featured authorities using tear gas and stun grenades to disperse angry crowds.

“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,” Mr. Leinonen told The Jerusalem Post on Sunday. “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.”

The artist said he told Shaked Shamir, curator of the “Sacred Goods” exhibit, to remove the piece.

“I immediately sent another request to the curator to take the work out of the exhibition, as it should have been in the first place,” he added. “I have not heard anything back from the museum. I insist my work will be taken off the exhibition instantly.”

A spokeswoman for the Haifa Museum of Art said she was unsure if Mr. Shamir received a direct request from the artist.

“McJesus” was borrowed from a Finnish gallery in August 2018.

“If they put up [a sculpture of] Hitler with a Torah scroll they would immediately respond,” an Arab Christian protester told Walla! news over the government’s response to their concerns, the newspaper reported.