by This is not new news what is new is the man, Michael Cassidy is being charged with a hate crime. Everything you don’t like or don’t want around you could be a hate crime, except of course for Christianity. All non Christians have to say is they’re offended.
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Michael Cassidy has been charged for violating individual rights under Iowa’s hate crime law for his alleged vandalism of a Satanic Temple display last December.
DES MOINES, Iowa — A Mississippi man accused of destroying a Satanic Temple display at the Iowa State Capitol in December has been charged with violating individual rights under Iowa’s hate crime law.
35-year-old Michael Cassidy faces one charge of Criminal Mischief in the Third Degree — a Class D felony — for vandalizing a statue of Baphomet and destroying the temple’s display, Polk County court documents reveal.
Gov. Kim Reynolds called the display “objectionable,” while organizers said it was a symbol of their right to religious freedom.
The display was built with the state’s full permission, but that didn’t stop Cassidy or others from sharing disdain about its placement.
Cassidy’s actions were committed “in violation of individual rights” under Iowa Code 729.A2, making his alleged actions on Dec. 14 a hate crime in Iowa.
Lucien Greaves, co-founder of the Satanic Temple, spoke to Local 5 about what the display stands for back in December.
“The First Amendment is very important in our ability to be able to identify how we do and coexist peacefully with people while being openly about who we are,” Greaves said. “That’s why we are often seeking representation in public forums.”
The estimated repair costs are between $750 and $1,500.
Cassidy was originally charged with Criminal Mischief in the Fourth Degree by the Iowa Department of Public Safety. He is set to be arraigned on Thursday, Feb. 15.
(Tell me how your an atheist and worship Satan too?) Good grief.