A few days after they went up in Fort Worth, some signs put up by an atheist group were vandalized, the Fort Worth Star-Telegram reported.

At least four banners downtown with the phrase "In No God We Trust" were sliced apart, the newspaper reported.

The group that hung them, Metroplex Atheists, expected vandalism and created extra signs just in case. In all, 66 signs were hung from lamp posts.

Since they were put up last week in advance of a July 14 event, the banners drew numerous complaints. Fort Worth Mayor Betsy Price, while defending the right of Metroplex Atheists to display the signs, said she was "appalled" by their message.

"I was appalled when I saw the banners currently being displayed downtown, as I do not support or agree with the message," Price said on Twitter last week. "We must respect freedom of speech. As we approach the Fourth of July, we must remember that many Americans have fought and died for the freedoms we cherish today."

Several took to social media Saturday to decry the vandalism.

"Everyone has freedom of speech, or no one does," another Twitter post read. "Pick one, or the other. Geez."

One Twitter poster, while not stating a position either way on the signs, found room for some humor.

"Might have been an act of God," the tweet read. "Who knows!"