Decapitated Trump Burned in Effigy at Annual Christmas Festival: ‘This Represents the Burning of Evil’
AP Photo/Alex Brandon
The crowd at an annual Christmas festival in Guatemala City, Guatemala cheered for President Donald Trump on Sunday. Unfortunately for the president, they were cheering as they watched him being burned in effigy along with the devil.
“La Quema del Diablo” (“Burning of the Devil”) is a centuries-old yearly tradition celebrated by Guatemalans on December 7, viewed as a way to rid themselves of evil as they officially kick off the Christmas season.
As part of this year’s celebrations in Guatemala’s capital city, a giant devil sculpture was lit ablaze — along with what looked like Trump’s head made out of papier-mâché in his hands.
Aldahir Gonzalez, a local man at the festival, told Reuters that the annual burning of the devil was “to represent the triumph of good over evil and all bad things, and to let go of bad things.”
“All this represents the burning of evil,” Gonzalez added.
It’s not the first time the American president has had a starring role in the fiery celebration. In 2016, Reuters reported that several of the effigies constructed that year were designed to look like Trump with devil horns:
Trump’s hardline stance on immigration during his presidential election campaign, including a promise to build a wall along the U.S.-Mexico border, has drawn anger from Latin Americans in the United States and around the world.
“We are against this person in many respects, regarding deportations, the wall he wants to build. We do not agree,” said participant Astrid Soto, just before setting fire to the Trump figures, which clutched fistfuls of fake cash, and a U.S. flag.
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