Satanists' holiday display at Minnesota Capitol sparks outrage

    ST. PAUL, Minnesota (WCCO) -- A Satanic holiday display at the Minnesota State Capitol has some sounding the alarm but Gov. Tim Walz says he can't take it down as it is protected by the First Amendment.

The Minnesota Satanists put up its holiday display at the Capitol building in St. Paul over the weekend.

The group says on its website that members "champion the symbol of Lucifer as one of revolt against arbitrary authority and advocacy for the pursuit of knowledge." The group says members don't directly worship Satan or believe in Satan; instead, they called the display a win for "religious plurality."

Republicans have blamed Walz for letting the display go up.

"Is there anything Tim Walz won't do to insult Minnesotans?" Republican Rep. Tom Emmer tweeted.

Republican Rep. Pete Stauber agreed with Emmer's sentiment, writing on X, "When you get a DFL trifecta, you get a Satanic display at our state Capitol. During the holidays...what a disgrace. Only in Walz's Minnesota."

The governor's office says while Walz does not agree with the display and did not approve it, the First Amendment —which guarantees the freedom of religion, among others — allows for the display.

"The First Amendment means that he does not police speech in the State Capitol. That's true whether it's a religious display, a political protest, or a Minnesotan advocating for a policy," a spokesperson for Walz said in a statement to WCCO.

Last December, the Satanic Temple put up a display inside the Iowa Capitol in Des Moines that a former U.S. Navy fighter pilot was later accused of destroying. Similar to the Minnesota Satanists, the Satanic Temple says it doesn't believe in Satan but describes itself as a "non-theistic religious organization" that advocates for secularism.