A student’s artwork that depicted a pig dressed in a police officer’s uniform was so controversial that it has been pulled from the Madeira Municipal Building in Ohio.

The Cincinnati Inquirer reports:

A piece of student artwork portraying a pig in a police uniform was removed before the opening of a long-running annual art show following complaints.

The Madeira City School District is not identifying the student but said organizers of the annual Madeira Art Show requested removal of the artwork. The piece, along with other student work, was displayed in the Madeira Municipal Building for public viewing prior to the May 5 art show.

Public reaction to the student art, specifically the piece depicting police as pigs, was strong.

[…]

The artwork was part of the student exhibit that hangs annually in the Madeira Municipal building, according to City Manager Tom Moeller. The works feature the original creations by Madeira students of various grade levels. There were dozens of pieces of art displayed.

Per WCPO, the building also houses the city’s police department, which was part of the problem:

The choice to display it in a city building, however, sparked threats against the student artist, outraged calls to the Madeira Police Department — which is headquartered in the same building as the art display — and, ultimately, an early removal. In a statement, Madeira City Schools said it had arrived at the decision “out of concern for the safety of the student.”

Watch their report on the controversy below:

The National Coalition Against Censorship condemned the decision to remove the student’s work:

As defenders of free expression and artistic freedom, the National Coalition Against Censorship (NCAC) condemns the removal of a student artwork from an exhibition in Madeira, Ohio. The removal of the work shows a deep disregard for the young artist’s constitutional right to free expression, and is a flagrant violation of free speech principles. It is a sad day when the message school administrators choose to send to students is to refrain from expressing their opinions about contemporary social issues lest they offend someone.

Judging from the mixed reactions in local news reports to the artwork and the decision to remove it, local residents and community leaders are torn between believing in the First Amendment rights of the student and understanding why the police department would be upset and concerned.

The department did not say in its statement whether or not they had requested the artwork be removed.

(Via The Blaze)

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—Sister Toldjah is a former liberal and a 15+ year veteran of blogging with an emphasis on media bias, social issues, and the culture wars. Read her Red State archives here. Connect with her on Twitter.–