Florida Governor Ron DeSantis will support the legal fund of a man facing accusations of vandalizing a display by The Satanic Temple inside the Iowa Capitol.
Michael Cassidy currently faces charges of fourth-degree criminal mischief. His crimes include knocking over and destroying a statue of the temple inside the Capitol.
“Satan has no place in our society and should not be recognized as a ‘religion’ by the federal government,” DeSantis said on X, formerly Twitter. “I’ll chip in to contribute to this veteran’s legal defense fund. Good prevails over evil — that’s the American spirit.”
The Satanic Temple display was allowed under Iowa law. The law permits any religious organization to hold a display inside the Capitol. It was a figure of the demon Baphomet spotting a bejeweled goat head alongside prayer candles.
The non-theistic religious organization is famous for using satanic imagery to protest laws in the U.S. using religious freedom arguments. Satanists do not believe in or pray to a biblical Satan. However, they refer to the literary idea of Satan to promote skepticism and curiosity.
“We don’t want to yield some kind of power to the government to begin picking and choosing between religious groups,” Satanic Temple co-founder Lucien Greaves said in a CNN interview. “People might hate us, and people might want to exclude us, but that simply opens the door to more sectarian battles, and it certainly won’t stop there.”
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The organization has previously protested religious prayer at schools by organizing after-school Satanist Temple clubs. It argues that its religious beliefs preserve the right to abortion access and chastise religious imagery and phrases in government.
In response to the display, Iowa Gov. Kim Reynolds criticized the temple. But ultimately, it abided by state law, allowing its display.
She said in a statement. “In a free society, the best response to objectionable speech is more speech. And I encourage all those of faith to join me today in praying over the Capitol and recognizing the Nativity scene that will be on display ― the true reason for the season.”
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Cassidy’s legal defense fund raised over $20,000 in its first few hours. It has garnered donations from many, like DeSantis and the conservative activist group Turning Point USA.
Cassidy previously ran for a Mississippi congressional seat in 2022, losing to Rep. Michael Guest in the primary by a wide margin.
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