Huge mural of hijab-clad Jacinda Ardern hugging a Muslim woman after the Christchurch massacre is unveiled in Australia despite petition from angry locals
- The 75 foot image painted on the Melbourne silo is nearly finished
- $11,000 was raised to hire street artist Loretta Lizzio to recreate the image
- Many Australians have rejected the idea and signed a petition for its removal
A controversial mural of the touching moment New Zealand Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern hugged a Muslim woman after the Christchurch massacre has been revealed.
A GoFundMe page raised $11,000 in one day to pay artist Loretta Lizzio to paint the image on a silo in Brunswick, northern Melbourne.
The mural sparked some controversy, with 15,000 people signing a change.org petition ordering its removal, saying it was not relevant to Australia.
The mural (pictured) sparked controversy with 15,000 people signing a petition for its removal
Street artist Loretta Lizzio (pictured) received $11,000 on a GoFundMe page to create the mural
The 75-foot-high mural portrayed the moment a hijab-clad Prime Minister hugged a woman mourning the victims of the mosque attacks.
Underneath is the Arabic word 'salam', which means peace and is also used as a greeting.
Organisers of the mural said that Brunswick was an appropriate place to put it due to the suburb's 'diverse history and community'.
'It is a place that had its hearts broken on the day of the Christchurch shootings,' they said.
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New Zealand Prime Minister, Jacinda Ardern, sympathised with those who lost loved ones in the Christchurch massacre (pictured)
Others believe the money could have been spent better elsewhere with people taking to social media to express their views.
'$11,000 can go towards actual people, help the homeless and the hungry... not a mural..' one person commented on a Facebook post.
'All I am seeing is a lot of money being put into the wrong things, it should be helping people, and the earth..' another person commented.
Many believed the money for the mural should have been spent elsewhere
Others believed the New Zealand Prime Minister deserved the mural due to the healing role she played after the March 15 attack when Australian Brenton Tarrant allegedly killed 51 people and livestreamed his actions online.
'This is a real leader with compassion and respect for all and the courage to lead, there is no better role model for world leaders today.' one woman commented on a Twitter post.
'There is no better role model for world leaders today' many commented praising Ms Ardern during the tragedy
The image has been projected on many famous landmarks throughout the world, including an image shown in Dubai, across the world's tallest building.
The mural was approved by the local council and is expected to be completed by May 30.
The image circulated worldwide and was even projected on the Burj Khalifa in Dubai (pictured)
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