Satanic Temple Installation Vandalized Twice, Removed From Concord’s City Plaza

CONCORD, NH — The controversial installation by The Satanic Temple on the city plaza has been removed after vandals damaged the display on Monday.

The so-called “holiday display,” “occult deity,” “demonic presence,” or “demon goat god Baphomet,” as it has been described in the press, installed near the veteran’s memorial outside the Statehouse, was hit by vandals twice Monday.

A tablet that was part of the display was cracked sometime in the late morning or early afternoon. On Monday night, police patrolling downtown came across several people on the plaza around 9:30 p.m., video recording the damage—the top half of the installation had been knocked off. An officer spoke to a witness about the vandalism and later had the video evidence downloaded, according to scanner chatter.

At post time, there is no update on any suspects involved in the incident.

Downtown has (or had) private surveillance cameras on buildings on Park Street and North Main Street.

On Tuesday morning, state Rep. Ellen Read (D-Newmarket), who assisted The Satanic Temple in accessing the permit for the display, was seen cleaning up the debris. She told NH Journal Sunday every display “has the potential to offend, even the nearby Nativity scene.”

Only Mayor Byron Champlin mentioned the display at Monday’s Concord City Council meeting.

Champlin received many calls about it and said it was disappointing the permit was approved, even though he understood the decision.

“I do not respond well to legal extortion,” he said.

Champlin challenged the secular organization and its mission, saying they were creating division in the community, not people who did not want to view such a display during the holidays.

A soon-to-be-formed ad hoc committee will examine the permitting process for unattended displays on the city plaza with new policies to be considered before next December, Champlin said.

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