A self-proclaimed atheist who was recently removed from a city council meeting in Missouri after objecting to an “In God We Trust” display is now getting some help from the ACLU.

The American Civil Liberties Union’s Missouri chapter announced a lawsuit Thursday, claiming that officials in Wentzville, a St. Louis suburb, violated Sally Hunt’s First Amendment rights.

Hunt, of Maryland Heights, was forcibly removed from the Feb. 14 meeting after opposing the “In God We Trust” sign, the St. Louis Post-Dispatch reported.

“The right to disagree with public officials without retribution is at the heart of a thriving democracy,” the civil liberties group said in a statement. “Just because a public official does not like what someone says about his decision it does not give him the right to intimidate someone or censor constitutionally protected speech.”