Paraiba do Sol will have one of the only statues of a terrorist in the Western world. From AP, :
SAO PAULO, Brazil (AP) — The New Year’s Eve celebrations in the small community of Paraiba do Sul will honor a figure the town’s mayor says hasn’t been honored anywhere else in the West – the late Yasser Arafat.
Moments before the clock rings in 2005, a fireworks and light show will serve as a backdrop to the unveiling of a life-sized statue of the Palestinian leader holding the traditional symbol of peace, the olive branch.
The 5-foot, 7-inch bronze statue will be part of an open-air memorial that includes a marble map of Palestine and a replica of the Palestinian flag, also in marble, Paraiba do Sul Mayor Rogerio Onofre said.
“It is the first time a memorial in Arafat’s honor has been built in the Western world,” Onofre said.
Let’s hope it’s the last, but it probably won’t be.