NEW: Satanic Statue Displayed Outside New Hampshire State House Has Been Destroyed
A statue of pagan deity Baphomet, which was erected outside the New Hampshire State House by the Satanic Temple, has been destroyed.
State Rep. Ellen Read, a Democrat, told Boston.com that the statue was toppled not long after it was unveiled on Saturday. Photos of the statue, which was displayed next to a nativity scene, show only the torso remaining after its head and torso were toppled. A tablet listing tenets of the Satanic organization was also destroyed.
YOURS FREE: Claim Your ‘Trump Victory’ Coin NOW!
Police said they are investigating the statue’s destruction, which is believed to have occurred sometime between Sunday morning and Monday afternoon.
Today’s photos of the Satanic Temple’s holiday display in Concord, NH 😂😂😂 pic.twitter.com/agk8n544cf
— OneOutOfFour (@OneOutof4) December 10, 2024
The statue was erected after Rep. Read — a radical leftist who represents Newmarket — invited the Salem, Massachusetts-based Satanic Temple to erect the statue next to a Christmas display. The state lawmaker claimed the statue was meant to celebrate Issac Newton and “celebrate science and the pursuit of knowledge,” according to a report from WMUR.
“I approached them as a person who cares about equal representation on public grounds for religions,” Read said. The far-left lawmaker came up with the idea after she was disturbed by other religious displays outside the state house.
City officials feared that they would be hit with a lawsuit filed by the Satanic Temple if they refused to grant a permit for the statue. “I opposed 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 political agenda,” Concord Mayor Byron Champlin said.
City officials argued that under the First Amendment, all religious displays need to be allowed or none at all. Champlin has stated that he will look into the prospect of updating the city’s policies by next year’s holiday season.
“The First Amendment doesn’t mean anything unless we’re actually making it work,” Read said. She added that the statue did not mention any other religion and was not meant to “demean others,” WMUR reported. She told the outlet that she spent Tuesday morning sweeping up pieces of the dismantled display.
“The reaction seems so emotional, so knee-jerk, that the idea that a mannequin and a goat mask would create all of this animosity,” she said. The lawmaker did not provide any information on whether plans are in place to re-erect the statue, though the permit is in place through the remainder of the year.
(BREAKING: Gold’s Bull Market Is Just Getting Started. Don’t Get Left Out)