Dark day at Green Bridge
A SATANISTS group says their weekend visit to HOTA was successful and “demonic spirits” have returned to the Gold Coast arts precinct.
An “eclectic mix” of about 20 people attended a ceremony at the HOTA Green Bridge on Saturday, including doctors, security guards and artists after the group was earlier not allowed to visit Evandale’s new prayer room.
It was the end of a weeklong saga in which the Noosa Temple of Satan organised a Coast visit after Mayor Tom Tate’s spiritual adviser Sue Baynes had earlier warned there was a “demonic stronghold” at HOTA after a spiritual battle where she talked about displacing “the powers of darkness”.
The Satanist group originally booked the prayer room, however upon further inquiries, council later insisted they could no longer take the appointment due to safety concerns.
Noosa Temple of Satan lawyer Trevor Bell told the Bulletin: “It was raining intermittently so like a bunch of trolls we were under the bridge, which was kind of appropriate.”
He said spiritual leader Robin Bristow, known as Brother Samael Demo-Gorgon, performed a ceremony “welcoming back the demonic spirits” to the HOTA precinct.
“We are happy to let you know that that was successful,” Mr Bell told the Bulletin.
“And that the HOTA precinct is now a multicultural and multi-spiritual precinct once again. The crowd was chanting ‘the spirit of Satan compels us’. We feel that did the trick.”
Mr Bell told the crowd: “Mayor Tate doesn’t have to like us but he has to pretend to like us. Because when you are in a public position like he is, you have to be seen to be treating people fairly. So it’s about perception of fairness by our public office holders and that’s why someone in his position shouldn’t be denigrating a group of people because if members of that group feel that they will be potentially discriminated against.”
Mr Tate has told the Bulletin the appointment of Ms Baynes was as a councillor adviser and not spiritual adviser and her role was to “bring the many faith-based groups in our city together” to partner on social issues such as homelessness, addiction and domestic violence.