A local government official in Kansas City, Missouri, is under fire for declining to display faith-related decorations in City Hall during Christmas.
According to KCTV, a memo issued by city manager Mario Vasquez told employees no religious symbols will be put up this year.
“As we prepare for the holiday season, I want to share how we will approach seasonal decor at City Hall this year,” Vasquez’s memo read. “To ensure City Hall remains a welcoming space for everyone and to honor the separation of church and state, we will not display religious symbols as part of our holiday decorations.”
In an interview with The Todd Starnes Show, Missouri Attorney General Catherine Hanaway said she will stand up against any encroachment of the first amendment and religious rights.
“I’m outraged and kind of brokenhearted honestly. Because I am a Christian. And to me, we’ve lost far too much of the celebration of the birth of Christ at this time of year,” she told Starnes. “The reason we celebrate it this time of year is because it’s when Christ was born.”
“It’s one more way that the government is intruding on individual rights to celebrate the birth of our lord and savior,” she told Starnes. Listen to her full interview here.
Hanaway said her office will look into a course of action to ensure Christians and religious City Hall employees can freely express their beliefs during Christmas.
“We’re sort of evaluating our options. If we have good options, we for sure will pursue it,” she added.
Related story: Atheists Demand Choir Remove Religious Songs From Christmas Concert
Councilman Nathan Willett said he was “disgusted” when he received the memo from Vasquez.
“That’s not the City Hall I believe in. This is a welcoming city,” Willett said, according to KCTV. “Where did this come from? What’s the rationale? This is unprovoked.”
Willett added that “we’re going to fight back on this.”
“You have to make space for everyone,” he said. “That’s what we need to do here in Kansas City. We need to make space for the menorah. We need to make space for Christmas trees. Yes, the Star of Bethlehem, if you want to put that on your desk, go ahead. If you want a nativity scene, go put that up in your office. We’re not going to tell you no.”
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