Yes.
The Minnesota Department of Administration issued a permit for a “Holiday Display” at the Minnesota State Capitol by Cerberus Ministries, a group of Minnesota Satanists.
A phoenix with an inverted pentagram hanging above it – a known symbol of Satanism – is on display through Dec. 27.
Despite in-person and social media protests, state spokesperson Julie Nelsen says the display is protected under the First Amendment, but the permit “does not imply an endorsement by the State.”
The Capitol provides space in East Hall “for unattended displays,” according to its website, which also says “the fundamental American right to peaceably assemble, speak, and demonstrate is guaranteed by the First Amendment of the US Constitution.”
Satanic imagery has also been displayed in state capitol buildings in Iowa and Illinois.
Past Supreme Court cases have mostly upheld free speech but have placed limits on speech that’s obscene or incites violence or law-breaking.
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