Posted on 12/12/2004 10:28:40 PM PST by Jakarta ex-pat
Waxworks of Victoria and David Beckham dressed as Mary and Joseph in a nativity scene at Madame Tussauds have been damaged in an attack. The London tourist attraction has removed them from display and closed off the controversial scene.
Church leaders and some members of the public have criticised the scene, which also has Kylie Minogue as the Angel.
A man in his 20s repeatedly punched the waxwork figures and fled into the street, the Sun newspaper reports.
A Tussauds spokeswoman said on Sunday night: "There was some damage caused to the figures of David and Victoria by a member of the public earlier today.
"The figures have been removed and the scene has been closed."
Head of the Roman Catholic Church in England and Wales Cardinal Cormac Murphy-O'Connor has called the modern-day nativity "disrespectful".
"To have a very special part of Christianity depicted in this way and its most precious symbol, which is the coming of God into the world in Jesus Christ, seems to me to be not just disrespectful to Christians, it is also disrespectful to the heritage of Britain and also does damage to the culture of this country," he said.
The nativity also features Tony Blair, the Duke of Edinburgh and President George Bush as the three wise men.
Actors Samuel L Jackson and Hugh Grant and comedian Graham Norton play the shepherds.
The celebrities were voted into the roles by 300 people who visited the attraction in October.
The nativity also features Tony Blair, the Duke of Edinburgh and President George Bush as the three wise men.
Had Tussauds used these figures to create a scene of Mohammad, the Muslims would have burned the place down. Wax makes a good fire.
I think they got off light. And maybe they learned a lesson.
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