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# Iowa Republican Arrested After Beheading Satanic Statue
- URL: https://hyperallergic.com/former-politician-arrested-after-beheading-satanic-temple-baphomet-statue/
- Published: 2023-12-19T21:51:51.000Z
- Updated: 2025-11-24T16:04:07.000Z
- Description: The Satanic Temple contributed a statue of the deity Baphomet for the Iowa Capitol’s holiday display.
- Author: Elaine Velie
- Tags: News, Iowa City, Monuments, Satanic Temple, #wp, #wp-post, #image-position-hidden, #Import 2025-11-24 09:29 (2023, 2024, part 1)

A former conservative political candidate was arrested last week after allegedly decapitating a Satanic Temple statue on display at the Iowa State Capitol. Michael Cassidy, who unsuccessfully ran for a Mississippi US House of Representatives seat last year, was [charged](https://apnews.com/article/satanic-temple-display-vandalized-iowa-capitol-199fb41983a3f3a390b7be370214bb64?ref=hyperallergic.com) with criminal mischief in the fourth degree. The destroyed statue depicted the deity Baphomet, a figure that has [increasingly angered](https://hyperallergic.com/587195/misunderstood-satanic-monument-baphomet-satanic-temple/) right-wing groups in recent years.

This was the [first year](https://www.vice.com/en/article/z3mk33/a-political-candidate-beheaded-a-satanic-temple-statue-now-he-faces-charges?ref=hyperallergic.com) the Satanic Temple, a nontheistic religious organization, contributed an exhibit for the Capitol's multidenominational display, which also [includes](https://twitter.com/Rushthewriter/status/1734678490996482467?ref=hyperallergic.com) a nativity scene and a message from an atheist group. The Temple’s work prompted [backlash](https://www.forbes.com/sites/jamesfarrell/2023/12/13/why-a-satanic-holiday-display-at-the-iowa-capitol-building-has-been-allowed-to-stay-up-despite-backlash/?sh=2ffc86cb5bac&ref=hyperallergic.com), with Florida Governor and presidential hopeful Ron DeSantis chiming in. In a statement issued before the vandalism occurred, Iowa’s Republican Governor Kim Reynolds [called](https://www.desmoinesregister.com/story/news/politics/2023/12/12/governor-kim-reynolds-criticizes-satanic-altar-at-iowa-capitol-asks-for-prayer/71891969007/?ref=hyperallergic.com) the depiction of Baphomet "absolutely objectionable" but said that "in a free society, the best response to objectionable speech is more speech." Reynolds went on to call on fellow Iowans to pray alongside her.

In a *Fox News* interview, Cassidy said the statue "touched a nerve" so he "pulled his head off" and put it in a garbage bag. He has not responded to *Hyperallergic*’s request for comment.

Cassidy now faces a $2,600 fine and up to a year in prison. Conservative donors have shown an outpouring of monetary support, [raising](https://www.businessinsider.com/michael-cassidy-destroyed-satanic-temple-display-iowa-donations-2023-12?ref=hyperallergic.com) almost $80,000 for the former politician's legal defense fund. Turning Point USA, the organization dedicated to entrenching "conservative politics" in high schools and colleges, [pledged $10,000](https://twitter.com/TPUSA/status/1735458086025068934?ref=hyperallergic.com), and DeSantis wrote on [X](https://twitter.com/RonDeSantis/status/1735671610617499886?ref=hyperallergic.com) that he would also contribute.

The Satanic Temple has not yet replied to *Hyperallergic*'s request for comment. In a [video](https://www.facebook.com/reel/688085943432528) posted after the incident on Facebook, the group said that "justice is being pursued the correct way, by legal means."

"We carry with us a sense of accomplishment and a renewed commitment to advocating for religious pluralism and freedom of speech," the Satanic Temple wrote in a December 16 [statement](https://www.facebook.com/reel/688085943432528).

Among other initiatives listed on its website, the Temple’s national congregation has [affirmed](https://thesatanictemple.com/pages/rrr-campaigns?ref=hyperallergic.com) its support for abortion, bodily autonomy, and LGBTQIA+ rights, rejecting "tyrannical authority" and "injustice" while encouraging "benevolence and empathy."