Furious protesters dismantle artist’s 13ft-high golden statue likening Israeli Prime Minister to dictator Saddam Hussein – WBNews

A GOLDEN 13-ft high statue of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu which appeared overnight in a Tel Aviv square has been pulled down. Built by Israeli sculptor Italy Zalait, the statue of “King Bibi” was designed to satirically replicate statues of dictators across the globe. Reuters 6 The effigy of “Bibi” as he is known by his supporters was toppled by an angry member of the public Reuters 6 The golden statue of Israel’s PM has been toppled But shortly after a city hall deadline for its removal expired, an angry member of public pushed the statue to the ground. Erected in the city’s Rabin Square overnight, Zalait claimed that he’d raised the statue to test the country’s limits of expression. He said he wanted to open a debate around Israeli attitudes to Mr Netanyahu, as the so-called “culture war” between the Israeli government and the country’s artists intensifies. Culture Minister Miri Regev announced that she will block the funding for art and cultural institutions which do not publicly express their loyalty to the state. Related links BATTLE STATIONS Israeli troops on high alert as ISIS strikes in Golan Heights for the first time – and get blasted to bits ISRAEL BURNS At least 50,000 people flee their homes after arson ‘terrorists’ spark devastating wildfires across Israel brink of war Israel almost bombed Iran but was stopped by Shimon Peres, it can be revealed after his death KEYBOARD WARRIORS Sick Facebook poll asks users to ‘vote’ for whether they support…more detail