AUSTIN – Governor Greg Abbott today released a statement following the City of Orange’s decision to remove the Nativity Scene it had placed at City Hall. The City’s decision follows a request by the Orange County Atheists to place a banner in front of City Hall in response to a Nativity Scene being erected.

“As the U.S. Supreme Court has continually held, public acknowledgement of our religious heritage is entirely consistent with the Constitution. The Constitution commands accommodation of religion rather than hostility towards it,” said Governor Abbott. “I strongly encourage the City of Orange to stand up to the demands of a select few who wish to see God thrown out of the public square, embrace the season of Christmas and restore the Nativity Scene immediately.”

In December of 2014, then Attorney General Abbott offered legal support to Cherokee County in their fight to keep their Nativity Scene following the American Humanist Association’s letter requesting it be taken down.