ST. PAUL, Minn., March 24 - A small Easter display was removed from the City Hall lobby on Wednesday out of concern that it would offend non-Christians.
The display - a cloth Easter bunny, pastel-colored eggs and a sign with the words "Happy Easter" - was put up by a City Council secretary. They were not purchased with city money.
Tyrone Terrill, the city's human rights director, asked that the decorations be removed. Terrill said no citizen had complained to him.
Council Member Dave Thune called it a shame.
"This has just gone too far," he said. "We can't celebrate spring with bunnies and fake grass?"
The council president, Kathy Lantry, said the removal wasn't about political correctness.
"As government, we have a different responsibility about advancing the cause of religion, which we are not going to do," she said.
It's not the first time a holiday symbol has been removed from City Hall. In 2001, red poinsettias were briefly banned from a holiday display because they were associated with Christmas.
