This afternoon, The Satanic Temple held a rally outside the Arkansas State Capitol building alongside a giant statue of Baphomet. They want to install it there permanently, just as State Sen. Jason Rapert did with his Ten Commandments monument.

Check out these glorious images:

Baphomet has arrived at the state capitol to cheers of "Hail Satan!" #arpx #arnews pic.twitter.com/6QFbf1eiTE — Jessi Turnure (@JessiTurnure) August 16, 2018

NOW: The Satanic Temple is rallying around their Baphomet statue at the Arkansas State Capitol. #arnews #arpx pic.twitter.com/AgO4CESKMq — Marine Glisovic KATV (@KATVMarine) August 16, 2018

The Satanic Temple gives a special thanks to @jasonrapert– who spearheaded the push to put the Ten Commandments monument on capitol grounds. #arpx #arnews pic.twitter.com/hEvdIfLypV — Jessi Turnure (@JessiTurnure) August 16, 2018

Are you as shocked and in AWE of what is happening right now? HAIL SATAN HAIL BAPHOMET pic.twitter.com/i3gE146hpv — Aleister Crow (@AleisterCrows) August 16, 2018

The Satanic Temple has brought its 8.5-foot Baphomet statue to the Capitol in protest of the installation of a Ten Commandments monument on Capitol grounds. pic.twitter.com/zhCDIDQIAF — Arkansas Times (@ArkTimes) August 16, 2018

From @LucienGreaves: Baphomet is not an attack on the Ten Commandments. It is an insistence on equality under the law. Goes on to thank Sen. Jason Rapert, who placed the 10 Commandments monument, for welcoming Satan and Baphomet to the Arkansas Capitol grounds. pic.twitter.com/iu1CuiJKre — Nick Fish (@NotNickFish) August 16, 2018

Rapert himself wasn’t at the rally, but he issued a statement this morning supporting the Satanists’ free speech rights, adding that they were “uplifting the profane” and calling them “extremists.”

The Satanic Temple’s spokesperson Lucien Greaves thanked Rapert in his opening remarks, which was obviously a pleasant jab more than anything. After all, without Rapert pushing for a Christian monument on government property, there would be no legal argument for a Satanic statue to be there either. It’ll be up to the courts to decide whether the Baphomet statue can go up permanently or if the Ten Commandments monument needs to come down. The worst-case scenario would be for the judges to allow the Christian display while permitting the state legislature to reject all other ones.

(Thanks to @SopaHog for the link)

