Satanic Temple's Holiday Statue Toppled, Removed From State House Grounds
Three days.
That’s how long a satanic statue lasted in front of the State House in Concord, New Hampshire.
The robed Baphomet’s legs remained standing, but its upper half had been severed and its head removed.
Its accompanying panel featuring the Satanic Temple’s seven tenets had also been shattered, New Hampshire Public Radio reported Tuesday.
Democrat Rep. Ellen Read, who helped organize the display with the Satanic Temple, was left picking up the pieces the next morning.
BREAKING: Satanic Temple’s statue, which was placed near a Nativity scene at the New Hampshire State House, has been destroyed. pic.twitter.com/QdMW6wo51v
— Leading Report (@LeadingReport) December 13, 2024
“Nobody would have batted an eye two months ago at a mannequin in a goat mask when it was Halloween. Nobody would have been upset,” Read said. “Two months later its the most offensive thing imaginable … they just have an emotional reaction and their only response is destroy.”
Read contacted the temple about the display months prior to the incident.
The State House square usually depicts a Nativity scene during the Christmas season, something Read apparently saw as exclusionary.
“One of our most sacred things as a country is our First Amendment and the idea that we do not have establishment of religion,” Read said. “On public grounds, if you’re representing one religion, you have to represent all.”
But to Mayor Byron Champlin, the statue had nothing to do with religion.
“By definition this is not a religion,” he said. “This is a very calculated political effort and I don’t think that it should be shrouded in the illusion that it’s some story of religious statement.”
Although Champlin didn’t approve of the damage, he never wanted the statue up in the first place.
“My preference was to deny the permit and accept the risk of the threatened lawsuit,” Champlin said at a Concord City Council meeting. “I oppose the permit because I believe the request was made not in the interest of promoting religious equity but in order to drive an anti-religious agenda.”
The reluctant City of Concord only approved the statue permit under fear of a lawsuit, according to the New Hampshire Journal.
“Under the First Amendment and to avoid litigation, the City needed to choose whether to ban all holiday displays installed by other groups, or otherwise, to allow it,” the City of Concord said in a statement.
Champlin called out the Satanic Temple for what he described as a political stunt.
“We have room in our society for atheists and for secularists and for Christians and for flat earthers. That’s what our democracy and our First Amendment is about,” he said.
“ I just don’t like what I view as a pretty cold political calculation on the part of this group, and I’m also very upset with the fact that this whole thing was prompted by somebody who’s not even from Concord.”
Champlin was referring to the fact that the Satanic Temple is based in Salem, Massachusetts.
“We’re basically dealing with someone else’s problem and I find that very unpalatable,” Champlin said.
It is unclear if the Satanic Temple will replace the shattered statue with another.
Truth and Accuracy
We are committed to truth and accuracy in all of our journalism. Read our editorial standards.
Advertise with The Western Journal and reach millions of highly engaged readers, while supporting our work. Advertise Today.
