Art exhibit featuring Saudi flag to be removed from World Trade Center grounds

An art exhibit on the grounds of the World Trade Center that features a giant piece of candy with the Saudi Arabian flag as the wrapper is being removed this week.

The planned removal comes after complaints surfaced about the flag’s presence near the site of the 9/11 attacks, according to BuzzFeed News.

A majority of the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorists were Saudi citizens.

The 9-foot-tall Saudi flag-wrapped candy statue is part of an art installation sponsored by the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey that was created for the Group of 20 (G-20) summit in 2011, which was held in France.

{mosads}The exhibit, titled “Candy Nations,” was brought to ground zero of the 9/11 attacks last week to celebrate its inclusion in the G-20 summit, according to the New York Observer.

Terry Strada, the chair of 9/11 Families & Survivors United for Justice Against Terrorism, was among the first who called for the removal of the sculpture.

“Given the unique and justified sensitivities surrounding the World Trade Center, it came to my mind to propose to remove the sculpture showcasing the flag of Saudi Arabia, or relocate it to a less sensitive location. But there is no way I can do such a thing as the flag of Saudi Arabia is entirely part of the G20 just like any other candy flag of this Candy Nations show,” she wrote to the Port Authority.

Port Authority told BuzzFeed Monday it was planning to remove the entire exhibit instead of just the Saudi component of it.

“We have been in contact with the 9/11 Memorial and various stakeholders, and in full collaboration with the artist will relocate the exhibit from its current location,” the Port Authority said. “We believe this solution respects the unique sensitivities of the site and preserves the artistic integrity of the exhibit.”

The art exhibit will instead be featured at John F. Kennedy International Airport.