A sculpture of Ronald McDonald nailed to a cross currently on display at Israel's Haifa Museum of Art has outraged the local Christian community.
On Friday (local time) hundreds of Arab Christian demonstrators clashed with Israeli police over the piece being displayed, The Times of Israel reports.
Three police officers were injured in the clash, which included the use of tear gas and stun grenades.
The sculpture, by Finnish artist Jani Leinon, forms part of an exhibition called Sacred Gods, which also includes Jesus being portrayed as a Ken doll.
A local Catholic leader called for the exhibition to be closed.
"We denounce the exhibition and the injury to the holiest symbol of Christianity by an institution that is supposed to serve citizens of all religions," the Rev. Archimandrite Agapious Abu Sa'ada of the Greek Melkite Catholic Archeparchy of Acre told Isaraeli newspaper Haaretz.
He said what might be suitable to exhibit in Europe was not suitable for their community.
The Israeli Culture Minister Miri Regev sent museum director Nissim Tal a letter asking them to remove the sculpture, The Times of Israel reports.
Mr Tal responded by agreeing to meet with the church leaders.
He also condemned the violent protests and a Molotov cocktail that had been thrown at the museum.
Newshub.
