Willy the fish: Penis-shaped statues of leaping piscenes are demolished in Morocco as locals say they should never have been erected
Workers are taking their hammers to a controversial fish statue in Morocco that has sparked outrage and mockery from social media users.
The statue, which shows two peach-coloured fish jumping into the air, is located on a roundabout in the coastal town of Mehdia.
Demolition began on Thursday following a barrage of complaints, disdain and amusement from locals.
One user called the phallic-looking fish 'pornographic', while others bemoaned the local government's decision to erect the statues instead of spending money elsewhere.
A statue of two peach-coloured fish has been called 'pornographic' by Moroccan social media users after going viral. The mockery and outrage was so intense that local authorities in the coastal town of Mehdia began demolishing the statues on Thursday
'People in Kenitra and Mehdia told authorities they want reforms in the city. And authorities bring them these statutes,' one social media quoted by Morocco World News said.
'Pornographic fish. People in Kenitra asked for reforms, authorities brought them ,' another posted.
Mehdia, where the statues are located, is in Kenitra province but is not part of the city of Kenitra.
Kenitra city officials were keen to point this out, posting a statement on local government's Facebook page to distance themselves from the uproar.
'In response to the many complaints from citizens asking for the demolition of the sculpture representing two fish and located on one of the roundabouts in the town of Mehdia.
'We inform the public opinion of Kenitra, that the town of Kenitra has no relation with this subject, and that the sculpture in question is not located on its territory,' the City of Kenitra wrote on Facebook.
Some social media users in Morocco questioned why local authorities in Mehdia town spent money on two phallic-looking statues of fish instead of reforms residents had been calling for. Meanwhile, officials in nearby city, Kenitra, went as far as issuing a statement to distance the city from the fray after some people mistook the statues' location
Some Mehdia residents think the statues may have been the brainchild of the recently-elected municipal council president Abderrahim Bouras of the Istiqlal Party.
Bouras was elected in August 2019.
Despite the notoriety surrounding the phallic-looking fish, the name of the sculptor remains unknown.