Lawyer Marc Randazza hired to represent The Satanic Temple leader Lucien Greaves in lawsuit against Twitter.
The Satanic Temple (TST), an international nontheistic religious group which prides itself in its dedication to humanistic values, is facing a split within members[/tweetit] because of leader Lucien Greaves’ decision to work with Marc Randazza, a lawyer who also represents plenty of right-wing figures, Neo-Nazi groups as well as Alex Jones.
Decision to Use Lawyer Who Defended Alex Jones, Neo-Nazi groups, Has Caused Division Within Satanic Temple[/tweetthis]
Back in January, Greaves announced he was thinking of suing Twitter on grounds of religious discrimination. He had been banned from the social media platform and was also not granted a blue tick verification despite his massive following and being a well-known public figure.
Following this announcement, the Satanic Temple has witnessed strong reactions from its members, with a large portion opposing this decision as they believe what Randazza stands for, including his clientele, is everything the religious group opposes. After all, on their website, they write that the mission of the group is to “encourage benevolence and empathy among all people.”
The group is divided to the extent that a major chapter group of the church, The Satanic Temple Los Angeles has left the group entirely and has renamed themselves The Satanic Collective. They announced on Instagram that their decision to leave, which every member agreed upon, was only because of the fact that the Executive Ministry decided to work with Randazza. They also said Randazza is a “Twitter troll” and someone who is an “agent of the alt-right.”
Furthermore, Greaves’ decision has opened the platform for more disagreements and debates regarding what the Satanic Temple really stands for. For many, including Greaves himself, the main aim is to protect and fight for personal sovereignty such as freedom of speech. However, for a large portion of the group, most of which are progressive and liberal activists, they value the strong commitment to leftist advocacy works TST is known for. Ever since it was founded in 2012, TST has always blended activism and trolling to voice its beliefs.
Defending freedom of all speech results in fascinating variety:
"Marc Randazza has represented a gay porn producer, far-right conspiracy theorist Mike Cernovich, civil rights lawyer Lisa Bloom, performance artist and activist Vermin Supreme, and the Satanic Temple, among others" https://t.co/Ealilv6RGq
— Matt S Trout (@shadowcat_mst) July 7, 2018
Many believe that TST’s willingness to work with someone who has a long history and strong associations with troubling clients the group is supposed to oppose, is a sign that the leadership, which is mostly straight, white men, is paying lesser attention to the diverse membership of the international group.