A sex shop in Spain has been condemned by Christian groups after displaying a “nativity scene” showing the Virgin Mary, St Joseph and the baby Jesus painted on ceramic dildos.
Non Sit Peccatum (Latin for ‘not a sin’), which is based in the town of Talavera de la Reina, was subject to a boycott campaign and protests after owner Héctor Valdivielso commissioned the images and displayed them in the shop window.
Europa Press reports that he claimed that at first the display proved popular, with people stopping outside to “take photographs and selfies”, but a group called Children of the Virgin Mary condemned the shop and demanded it remove the scene.
Valdivielso said on his Facebook account: “A man with his wife ordered me to remove the offending scene and said that if I didn’t he would remove it himself.”
His shop was then reportedly spray-painted with the word “pecadores” (sinners), and a small group of protesters gathered outside.
He also posted hate mail he had received to his Facebook account, including one letter saying: “Don’t you have the balls to display something that would offend Muslims? Of course not, because they would blow you up.”
Eventually, he took the display down and replaced it with a sign asking his customers and supporters to vote online over whether it should be reinstated.
The shop said that 78.5 per cent voted for it to return to the store front, and it was duly returned.
“People asked me not to give in to blackmail, so it’s going back in the window,” Valdivielso wrote.
Last year, a Spanish artist caused outrage after stealing 242 consecrated communion wafers – which according to Catholic teaching are the literal body of Christ – and using them to spell the word “pederasty” in a piece of modern art.
Over 100,000 signed a petition calling for it to be taken down, however the local city hall refused to act.
Despite the severity of the offence caused in both cases, there have been no reports of physical violence.
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