Council pres. removes Easter bunny from St. Paul, MN city hall

March 25, 2006

A cloth Easter Bunny holding a sign that said "Happy Easter" was removed from the lobby of City Hall in St. Paul, Minnesota.

The city's human rights director, Tyrone Terrill, requested that the display be removed because it could offend non-Christians, but also said that no one had complained to him about the display.

"This has just gone too far. We can't celebrate Spring with bunnies and fake grass?", said Council member Dave Thune.

"As government, we have a different responsibility about advancing the cause of religion, which we are not going to do," said council president, Kathy Lantry.

The display was put up by a city council secretary and no city funds were used to buy the display. For nearly ten years, the same secretary put up decorations in the same lobby to celebrate St. Patrick's Day, Christmas, Valentine's Day and Fall.