Santa statue a step tutu far

A revolving statue of Father Christmas dancing in a tutu has drawn the ire of Italy’s right-wing political parties, who say it could ruin children’s Christmas. The statue, in Modena, depicts Santa in a red leotard with a tutu made of Christmas tree foliage, with festive lights around his ample waist, and holding a red heart. It provoked a furious reaction from former prime minister Silvio Berlusconi’s Forza Italia, which said: ‘‘More than just a rainbow icon for ideological adults, it’s half man, half woman.’’ Ferdinando Pulitano, provincial head of the hard-right Brothers of Italy, said officials in the city had ‘‘hatred for our traditions’’. The statue’s creator, Lorenzo Lunati, said: ‘‘This is a human Santa who dances to shrug off some of the weight we’ve been carrying recently.’’