CONCORD, NH — Other Concord and capital region community members are now spending time on the City Plaza protecting a Nativity scene.
At the same time, vandals continue to damage a nearby Satanic Temple holiday display.
After spending more than a week in the early morning hours outside the Statehouse to ensure vandals did not attack a Nativity scene sponsored by the Concord Grange, Brian Blackden, the organizer of the Christmas Tree Lighting, has started to get help.
“Backup has arrived,” he said on Saturday night after four other community members came forward to help out and stand guard.
Blackden decided to start guarding the crèche after several online threats to the display. While spending 12 early morning hours every night was a worthy endeavor, it was good to now have assistance, he said.
During the past few nights, however, vandals have continued to damage the Satanic Temple’s “holiday display,” “occult deity,” “demonic presence,” or “demon goat god Baphomet.”
Early Friday morning, the display was hit twice by vandals, with police showing up after Blackden called in the incidents. A man with a pipe walked up to the display and smashed it Sunday morning. The suspect then walked “calmly” back to his vehicle and drove away, he said.
On Sunday night, another man with a pipe arrived and smashed the display. That suspect was chased by near North Main Street by police and Blackden. Officers caught up with the suspect on South Main Street later, he said.
Supporters of the display returned later and duct-taped it back together again.
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On Christmas Eve, between 6:30 and 9:30 p.m., area residents are invited to come and sing carols on the City Plaza. Like during the tree lighting, there will be a burn barrel so people can stay warm.
Blackden and others decided to host the caroling event to bring “positive attention to the plaza since it has been getting so much poor attention due to the satanic display.”
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