Once again, Sweden's Christmas Goat proves irresistible to arsonists
Not even 24 hours elapsed this time before someone set the iconic 43-foot-tall, 3.6-ton straw goat ablaze on Sunday in the center of G盲vle, a city on the central coast of Sweden.
The vandalism was to be expected; the goat鈥檚 fame is attributed to its inevitable demise nearly every year of its half-century history. But this time it happened so fast, and on its 50th anniversary.
Up it went on Sunday afternoon, festooned in red ribbon, to tower over the city through the holiday season. But by shortly after 11 p.m.聽the straw goat had burned into a pile of ash, with only its charred, , according to Swedish newspaper Svenska Dagbladet.
鈥淲e fully understand that this is why he is known. Obviously we understand that this is G盲vle's biggest celebrity, it is clear that he is a media icon. At the same time a great many people are sad; ,鈥� Maria Wallberg, the spokeswoman for the goat, told Sweden鈥檚 newspaper Metro.
Police are investigating, but the arsonists have not yet been identified, but it is expected that they waited to set it on fire until one of its guards left his post to use the toilet, while the other stood on the opposite side of the goat. But even new cameras and two guards were not enough to protect the totem, which has been destroyed mostly by arson 38 times since it first appeared in 1966. In 2010, two men reportedly , according to The Local in Sweden.
鈥淚t is incredibly difficult to protect the goat from anyone who really wants to burn it down,鈥� said Ms. Wallberg in a press release, according to Swedish newspaper Sydsvenskan.
Still, tradition has inspired the city every year to erect the buck in G盲vle鈥檚 central square, Slottstorget, on the first Sunday of Advent. This year, the city spent 2.3 million kronor ($249,900) to build the goat, market it, and throw a launch party. It would take about 1,000 hours to rebuild and re-erect the goat, according to Swedish media reports. Just the materials would cost聽the city upwards of 100,000 kronor ($10,000).
G盲vle residents will vote on social media this week whether to build a new goat or not.
