A Ten Commandments monument at the center of a bitter dispute over the constitutional separation of church and state was removed from public view on Wednesday in Alabama's state judicial building.
Workers wheeled away the two-tonne granite monument to the anguish of several hundred Christian protesters outside, who greeted the removal with wails, shouts and prayers.
People who saw the stone as an unconstitutional expression of religion in a government building welcomed the move.
PHOTO: REUTERS
The state's chief justice, Roy Moore, installed the monument two years ago as a symbol of the Judeo-Christian foundation of US law. A federal court had ordered it moved.
"It is a sad day in our country when the moral foundation of our law and the acknowledgment of God has to be hidden from public view to appease a federal judge," Moore said in a statement after the removal.
Moore was suspended last week for refusing to comply with the federal court order to remove the monument by Aug. 20 and has promised to appeal the case to the US Supreme Court.
Moore said he was profoundly disappointed with authorities who sought the monument's removal and added, "I have not and will never deny my oath, my conscience or the constitution of this state and the nation."
Graham George, judicial building manager, said the monument was placed in a storage area. "I hope the Supreme Court will hear this case and let us know once and for all," he said.
The office of US President George W. Bush, who has been forthright in his public professions of Christian faith, backed the removal of the monument as the right thing legally while acknowledging such cases have gone both ways in the past.
"It is important that we respect our laws and our courts," said White House spokeswoman Claire Buchan.
"In some instances, the courts have ruled that the posting of the Ten Commandments is OK, in other circumstances they ruled that it's not OK. In either case, there's always opportunity for appeal of court decisions, but we believe that it's important to respect the laws and the courts."
The Alabama case has been the latest in disputes over Ten Commandment displays in the US. They pit defenders of the Constitution's First Amendment guarantee that the government will not promote any religion against Christians who believe the Old Testament commandments should be displayed in schools or courthouses as a reminder of basic values.
Some of the several hundred protesters outside the Alabama building were distraught. One screamed "Put it back, put it back" as others tried to calm him down.
Brian Chavez-Ochoa, a lawyer for members of the Christian Coalition, said he would file a request seeking to return the block to the courthouse rotunda.
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