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Virginia officials faced major backlash online after they canceled an After School Satan Club organized by The Satanic Temple. The meeting that was supposed to be held at the Indian River Library on August 10, 2023, was canceled by the city of Chesapeake, as officials claimed that the event was a threat to the public.
The Satanic Temple stated that the meeting being canceled was a violation of rights and revealed that they were consulting their attorneys. The decision left the internet outraged. The temple shed light on the situation on Instagram and several netizens took to the comments section of the post to criticize the catholic church and the city of Chesapeake.
Netizens support After School Satan Club; criticize city and church
On Wednesday, August 9, The Satanic Temple's official Instagram page put out a post that confirmed the cancellation of the event. The post mentioned that the meeting was scheduled to be held at 3:30 pm on August 10 in the Indian River Library. The organization wrote:
"We believe this cancellation is unconstitutional and a violation of the rights of our families who had planned to attend the meeting, and we are consulting with our attorneys."
The organization also clarified that the club was not approved or sponsored by the Chesapeake Public Library.
Netizens were not happy with the city's decision to cancel the After School Satan Summer Club meeting. People pointed out the double-sided nature of authorities and asked why the Christian Summer Club meetings were not canceled. It was alleged that the state had unconstitutionally infringed upon religious freedom.
Some users were not shocked by the move as they mentioned that the area had a lot of Christian churches. Netizens also targeted the Christian religion and accused individuals of living above the law, involving themselves in private decisions, and striking down anything that they did not approve of.
City of Chesapeake responds to outrage
In response to the outrage online, the city of Chesapeake released a statement to 13News Now, stating public safety and welfare as the reasons for the event being canceled.
"The City has adopted uniform policies and user agreements which set forth the requirements, parameters, and expectations necessary to assure that events do not pose a threat to public health, safety or welfare or otherwise disrupt City operations," the statement read.
It further stated:
"Individuals or organizations failing to comply with these policies and/or agreements are subject to having their facility usage cancelled by the City."
The first meeting of the club in Chesapeake was held way back in February in the B.M. Williams Primary School. At the time, it faced a lot of backlash from parents who were concerned about their children joining the club.
The Satanic Temple claimed to not include any discussion on the topic of religion or deities but instead viewed Statn as "a literary figure who represents a metaphorical construct of rejecting tyranny and championing the human mind and spirit."
"The Satanic Temple supports children to think for themselves," it stated.
The temple also revealed that the clubs would emphasize a scientific, rationalist, and non-superstitious worldview. The club activities for the canceled event included science projects, community service projects, arts and crafts, puzzles and games, and nature activities.
