Activist Shaun King calls for Jesus statues to be toppled

King called for statues of Jesus to be taken down. Photo / 123RF

A Black Lives Matter activist in the US has called for all statues of Jesus depicting him as a "white European" to be taken down, claiming that they are an expression of "white supremacy".

Shaun King took to Twitter to call for the radical action, writing: "Yes, I think the statues of the white European they claim is Jesus should also come down. They are a form of white supremacy. Always have been."

"In the Bible, when the family of Jesus wanted to hide, and blend in, guess where they went?" King asked.

"EGYPT! Not Denmark. Tear them down."

Statues across the US and the world have been targetted since the Black Lives Matter movement was fired up again by the killing of George Floyd.

Originally it was Confederate statues that were toppled, but the list has been expanded to include Union soldiers and other historical figures.

King doubled down on his initial statement in a series of tweets.

"Yes. All murals and stained glass windows of white Jesus, and his European mother, and their white friends should also come down," he said.

"They are a gross form of white supremacy. Created as tools of oppression. Racist propaganda. They should all come down."

King also stated: "If your religion requires Jesus to be a blonde-haired blue-eyed Jesus, then your religion is not Christianity, but white supremacy.

"Christian whiteness, not white Christianity, has been the primary religion of this country for hundreds of years."

Activist Shaun King. Photo / Twitter

King faced a huge backlash for the comments.

"There is a long beautiful history of people depicting Jesus looking familiar to their place and culture," one person tweeted.

Another person said: "Taking down statues of slavers or war criminals and placing them in museums is one thing. Painting over murals and taking down stained glass windows is entirely another thing. You know who else tore down images they didn't agree with? The Taliban."

King said he received death threats after his comments, writing: "Received about 20 death threats in the past 12 hours since I said that statues of white European Jesus are a tool of oppression for white supremacy and should be taken down."

He later returned to Twitter to reveal his history in the Church and saying that "Christian whiteness has ALWAYS been dangerous".