A 51-year-old woman in Poland has been arrested for creating artwork of the Virgin Mary that incorporates a rainbow flag commonly associated with LGBTQ rights.
The woman, who has not been named in media accounts, lives in the city of Plock, and some of her art was posted in the public spaces. She was abroad but was arrested after she returned home. Police searched her home and found dozens of images of the Virgin Mary with a rainbow halo, reported The Guardian, a British newspaper.
Interior Minister Joachim Brudziński, announced on Twitter May 6 that the woman was arrested for “carrying out a profanation of the Virgin Mary of Częstochowa.”
Offending religious feeling is a crime in Poland. Brudziński called the artwork “cultural barbarism” when the posters first appeared in April, adding, “Telling stories about freedom and ‘tolerance’ doesn’t give anyone the right to offend the feelings of believers.”
If convicted, the woman could face two years in prison.
