Animal rights advocates in Germany are calling on a Jesus impersonator to stop using a donkey and resort to an e-scooter instead.
The bizarre demand refers to the famed Passion Play in Oberammergau, the spectacle recreating the last days of Jesus that originated in the small Bavarian village in 1634.
In the first act, Jesus rides into Jerusalem on a donkey on Palm Sunday, but PETA’s German branch wants to bring the play more into line with modern trends.
“These days, Jesus would no longer travel on a donkey. He would presumably move on an e-scooter or some other electric vehicle that is kind to animals and the environment,” said PETA spokesman Peter Höffken.
The organisation called upon the mayor of Oberammergau to abandon the use of animals in next year’s Passion play, which is expected to bring together some 2,400 residents and half a million TV viewers.
According to broadcaster BR24, the organisers promised to comply with the animal welfare regulations but said that the use of an e-scooter was out of question given the historical context.