Mexico's naked Zapata painting causes protests

Protesters stormed the Palace of Fine Arts in Mexico City on Tuesday over a painting showing revolutionary hero Emiliano Zapata striking an unconventional pose.

They shouted "burn it, burn it", arguing that the painting, which shows Zapata naked on an aroused horse in high heels and a pink hat is offensive, according to BBC News.

Zapata's grandson, Jorge Zapata González, wants it to be removed.

"We are not going to allow this," he told the Associated Press.

"For us as relatives, this denigrates the figure of our general, depicting him as gay," Mr Zapata González said, adding that the family would sue if the painting was not removed.

Emiliano Zapata was a leader in the Mexican revolution before being assassinated in 1919 at the age of 39. He remains a hero in the eyes of many Mexicans.

 Among the protesters were many tenant farmers who admire Emiliano Zapata, himself a poor farmer, for the stand he took against the appropriation of land by rich landowners.
They demonstrated outside the museum in central Mexico City for hours with some shouting homophobic slurs, which prompted a counter-demonstration by people defending sexual diversity. There were scuffles between the two sides.

"Zapata" has also become a trend on Twitter with tens of thousands of people expressing both their support for diversity and their objection to the painting.