A blasphemous blood-red sculpture of Jesus Christ crucified holding an Uzi machine gun in each hand had to be moved after triggering an uproar from Catholics offended by the grotesque image.
Initially displayed outside during an arts festival in Marseille, France, the sacrilegious sculpture by James Colomina, titled “Thou Shalt Not Kill,” was intended by the provocative artist to convey an anti-violence message.
The artist stated on Instagram, “We invented religions, laws, and principles. Then we invented a thousand reasons to break them.”
According to a report by French pro-life social media commentator Ad Vitam, the organizers of the festival cited the “risk of vandalism and a desire to avoid offending the religious convictions of residents.”
🚨Marseille, 12 sept. 2026
— ✞✟† 🅰️d Vitam 🐓🪢 (@Ad_Vitam44_) September 14, 2026
James Colomina installe « Tu ne tueras point » à L’Aérosol (La Tulipe, 15e) : un Christ rouge de 2 m tenant un Uzi dans chaque main.
Placée d’abord en façade, l’œuvre a été rentrée à l’intérieur face aux réactions.
Visible jusqu’au 1er novembre.… pic.twitter.com/yY40quQdQV
“The visual shock of a sacred figure [and] automatic weapons has produced exactly that effect: immediate media visibility and removal from the street. The outright removal should have BEEN DONE,” concluded Ad Vitam’s report.