Virginia official sorry for calling atheist group ‘terrorists’

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Ken Reid of the Loudoun County Board of Supervisors gave a halfhearted apology on Wednesday for referring to an atheist group as “terrorists.”

“Yeah, I guess so,” Reid said when asked if he should apologize. “But I still think they’re fanatical.”

Reid was upset that the group American Atheists had criticized new regulations on holiday displays at the Leesburg courthouse in Virginia.

The board of supervisors have banned unattended private displays at the courthouse in an attempt to restrict non-traditional holiday displays. Previous displays had featured Santa Claus’s corpse hanging from a cross, as well as Jedi from the Star Wars movies.

County officials, however, allowed for a Christmas tree, menorah and Santa Claus display to stay at the courthouse unattended. The Virginia director for American Atheists, Rick Wingrove, said the county officials were unfairly promoting certain religious beliefs over others.

“None of the religious organizations in the county have had any problem with what we’re doing,” Reid told the Washington Times in an article published Monday. “It’s strictly this group of terrorists. They’re fanatics who basically want to stamp out religion in all public life and property.”

Watch video, courtesy of NBC 4 Washington, below: