Art display in Chicago center draws controversy, claims of antisemitism

CHICAGO - Thirty people spoke about one art exhibit at Chicago’s Special Events committee meeting.

The piece is controversial and 27 council members have already called for its removal.

The protest puppet is in the Chicago Cultural Center, it portrays Uncle Sam and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu as murderers, calling out U-S support of Israel’s involvement in Gaza. The exhibit was titled "U.S.-Israel War Machine."

The alderpersons signed a letter calling on leaders to remove it because it was offensive.

Some members of the public agreed with calls to remove the artwork.

"As a citizen of Chicago, this is dangerous for my community. It is harmful and it is not something that should be displayed in a public building. Bigotry like this actively harms the Jewish community, which has a large presence in Chicago," a representative from the American Jewish Committee said.

The other side:

Others said that censorship of public art is not something that Chicago’s elected officials should get involved in.

"To hear that there has been such an uproar about this puppet is shocking and honestly, a waste of everyone here’s time," one resident said. "The demand to remove this puppet sets a dangerous precedent that Chicago elected officials can dictate which artwork is allowed to be displayed in our city and which is not, based on whether they agree with the artist’s politics. As a proud member of Chicago’s Jewish community, I urge you to spend your time actually governing our city."

Changes were made to the display. Officials added a warning that the exhibition contains sensitive content.