MIAMI BEACH, Fla. – A portrait of Che Guevara was taken down from the lobby of a South Beach hotel a few days after it was hung up.
The portrait of the Argentine Marxist was hung in the lobby of W South Beach over the weekend. It was removed Tuesday.
"It was very humiliating to see a picture of Che Guevara there," said Babara Rangel. "I was outraged."
Rangel and hundreds of others protested the painting on the hotel's Facebook page.
"He was an Argentinean mercenary that came to my county (Cuba) to kill people," said Rangel.
She shared a video of Guevara executing her grandfather as it aired on Cuban television in 1959.
"This is not art. That is the image of a cold killer, of a killing machine," said Rangel.
"A piece of art, it's okay to be there," said Ignacio Ceriani. "The fact that he was Che Guevara doesn't mean anything."
"I'm not outraged by it," said Brian Ridley. "He's a historical character, there's history behind it. It's just not an image that has ever outraged me."
W South Beach issued a statement on its Facebook page, saying: "W South Beach respects the concerns of our community, which has been so supportive of us, and we have removed British artist Gavin Turk's self-portrait as Che Guevara from the property."
"It's not good enough," said Rangel. "I want an apology."