On his show Wednesday night, Fox News host Bill O’Reilly accused American Atheists president David Silverman of being a “fascists” who wanted to banish Christmas from the United States.

During the contentious interview, O’Reilly insisted that Christmas displays in public buildings were not a constitutional issue because Christianity is not a religion.

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“It is a fact that Christianity is not a religion, it is a philosophy,” the Fox News host declared confidently. “If the government was saying that the Methodist religion deserves a special place in the public square, I would be on your side.”

Silverman said he would be just as upset if a public figure promoted atheism.

“Jesus Christ,” O’Reilly said, then apologized. He added that Christmas trees had nothing to do with Christianity and were a secular symbol.

Silverman responded that he was not against Christmas celebrations per se, he was only against the government favoring Christianity over other religions.

O’Reilly said Silverman’s views were “insane” and that he should get his “merry band of fascists” together to “re-vote” on Christmas being a federal holiday. After Silverman objected to being called a fascist, O’Reilly again reiterated the point by saying he was a fascist because he wanted to banish Christmas.

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Watch video, via FoxNews.com, below: