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The Salem, Massachusetts-based Satanic Temple following the
ruling posted a request filed on Tuesday with the city's
property department asking to have its flag raised for "Satanic
Appreciation Week" from July 23 to 29.
The city had operated a program that let private groups use the
flagpole while holding events in the plaza below. It suspended
the program last October amid the litigation to ensure that the
city could not be compelled to "publicize messages antithetical
to its own" and has said it is re-evaluating the program.
Asked about the Satanic Temple's request, a spokesperson for
Mayor Michelle Wu's office noted the program's suspension and
said the city was reviewing the high court's Monday decision.
The Satanic Temple, also known as the United Federation of
Churches LLC, describes itself as a promoter of benevolence and
empathy among people rejecting tyrannical authority.
The Supreme Court found that Boston's rejection of the Christian
group Camp Constitution and its director Harold Shurtleff
violated their right to freedom to speech under the U.S.
Constitution's First Amendment.
In turning down Camp Constitution, Boston had said that raising
the cross flag could appear to violate another part of the First
Amendment that bars governmental endorsement of a particular
religion.
Boston has said that requiring it to open the flagpole to "all
comers" could force it to raise flags promoting division or
intolerance, such as a swastika or a terrorist group.
The Satanic Temple did not immediately respond to a request for
comment on Thursday.
(Reporting by Nate Raymond in Boston; Editing by Will Dunham)
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