It's illegal and unconstitutional. If we allow protestors to disrupt religious services, no mosque, synagogue, or church in America will ever be safe again.

 

1–13–26 — at the headquarters for US Customs and Border Protection a rally was held to call for a cease to funding ICE by congress and to remember Renee Good who was murdered by ICE terrorist Jonathan Ross. (Photo: Jason Gooljar)

Social media platforms were buzzing this week after videos circulated online showing a group of anti-ICE protestors disrupting a church service in Minneapolis.

As confused church-goers looked on bewildered and children sobbed, the pastor maintained calm and asked the protestors politely to leave as they shouted, chanted slogans, and confronted attendees at the service.

Unsurprisingly, the whole encounter was filmed and posted online almost immediately. Some of the footage appears to have been taken by the protestors themselves, who obviously felt they were doing nothing wrong, let alone illegal. People intent on committing a crime don’t generally film their incriminating actions. 

Then again, sometimes they do.

Ignorance of the law is no excuse, of course. Explain to a court of law in any district in America that you did not know your action was against the law and you’ll get the same answer.

Otherwise, everyone could (and would) claim ignorance of the law in order to avoid prosecution.

“Sorry, officer, I didn’t know I was speeding because I didn’t know the speed limit” won’t get you out of a ticket.

And the defense “I didn’t know my actions were against the law” doesn’t work as an excuse for more serious crimes either.

There are many surprising aspects of this incident, none so much as the fact that disgraced former CNN reporter Don Lemon appears to have embedded himself into the phalange of protestors. Lemon (and one assumes, his camera operator) filmed the “protest” from parking lot to church sanctuary and beyond.

Mr. Lemon even filmed himself arguing with the church’s pastor that the First Amendment right to free speech and freedom of the press allows for the disruption of religious services (it doesn’t).

Anti-ICE demonstrators and Don Lemon would, presumably, start to see the issue more clearly if protestors who objected to certain teachings in the Islamic faith disrupted religious services at a Mosque.

For reasons that should be obvious, we cannot and do not permit the disruption of religious services in the United States.

“Minutes ago at my direction, @HSI_HQ and @FBI agents executed an arrest in Minnesota,” announced U.S. Attorney Pam Bondi today. “So far, we have arrested Nekima Levy Armstrong, who allegedly played a key role in organizing the coordinated attack on Cities Church in St. Paul, Minnesota. We will share more updates as they become available. Listen loud and clear: WE DO NOT TOLERATE ATTACKS ON PLACES OF WORSHIP.”

A second arrest was made later in the day.

“UPDATE: A second arrest has been made at my direction,” announced AG Bondi. “Chauntyll Louisa Allen has been taken into custody. More to come. WE WILL PROTECT OUR HOUSES OF WORSHIP.”

And a third: “UPDATE: William Kelly is now in custody. Our nation was settled and founded by people fleeing religious persecution. Religious freedom is the bedrock of this country. We will protect our pastors. We will protect our churches. We will protect Americans of faith.”

While Ms. Levy Armstrong attempted to backpedal during a news interview by claiming the demonstrators were “participating” in church services, Chantyll Allen, a Saint Paul Public Schools board member, did not.

Both statements, no doubt, will become evidence in the case.

And then there are the videos.

All the videos.

The Justice Department cited a federal statute — one associated with protecting access to houses of worship — arguing that people do not have a First Amendment right to physically obstruct or disrupt religious exercise.

America has a long tradition of protest. We argue, we rally, we march, we leaflet, we petition, we vote. That is part of who we are. But there is a line. And when activists cross it — when they interrupt a worship service and turn a sacred space into a political stage — they aren’t practicing “free speech.” They’re practicing coercion, intimidation, and religious persecution.

They are also infringing on the religious liberties of every single person of faith in the nation.

Because once you normalize disrupting worship, no faith is safe.

If activists can shut down a church because they dislike a pastor’s job or politics, then someone else can shut down a mosque because they dislike Islam’s teachings. Someone can shut down a synagogue because they’re angry about Israel. Someone can shut down a Catholic Mass over old scandals. You don’t have to imagine it — it’s the obvious next step.

Religious liberty isn’t real if it only exists for “approved” congregations. It isn’t freedom if it depends on whether the loudest people in town feel like granting you permission to pray.

Protest all you want. Protest outside. Protest in the streets. Protest at the ballot box.

But leave worship alone. If we can’t protect that boundary, then freedom of religion in America is already halfway gone.

(Contributing writer, Brooke Bell)