A lewd statue of Satan that seemingly popped up overnight in East Vancouver in Canada has been taken down by city officials after raising eyebrows — among other things.
The 9-foot-tall statue was a representation of the devil, complete with red skin, a pointed tail and horns atop his head. The statue also holds one hand up in a devil-horn salute familiar to heavy metal fans the world over.
But what has aroused controversy is the statue's prominent, erect phallus, CTV News reports.
The statue stood about eight to nine feet tall on a pedestal near the intersection of 4th Avenue and Clark Drive for several hours Tuesday.
It was removed by city crews at around 3:15 p.m.
The statue also appeared to sport a full erection, a detail that likely raised hell with some of the commuters who use the station.
No one has claimed responsibility for the naked Satan, according to CTV News. But the bulging Beelzebub was quickly removed because city officials weren't exactly nuts about it.
“The statue was not a piece of city commissioned artwork and consequently it has been removed,” Sara Couper, a City of Vancouver spokeswoman, told GlobalNews.ca.
City officials haven't said what they plan to do, but a man named Mike Granger has started a petition on Change.org asking it be given to him for inclusion in an "Odditorium" he runs, according to the Winnipeg Sun.
One of the lines in the petition warns the city: “By removing the statue of Penis Satan, you are taking from us our freedom of expression, restricting our sexuality, and stigmatizing our religious beliefs. Please return him immediately."