Christians were ambushed during Easter Mass in New York City by an anti-Israel mob calling for a “ceasefire” in Gaza.
The protesters flooded into NYC’s most iconic cathedral, breaking up an Easter Mass and throwing the tranquil scene into disarray.
On Saturday evening, candles illuminated the walls of St. Patrick’s Cathedral as observers gathered for the customary Easter Vigil Mass.
The mass was led by the archbishop of New York, Cardinal Timothy Dolan.
But the peace quickly devolved into chaos as radical demonstrators with leftist Extinction Rebellion NYC’s Palestinian Solidarity group swarmed into the church.
At the front of the worshippers, the brazen activists unfurled an anti-Israel flag.
The flag was emblazoned with an olive tree and the words “SILENCE = DEATH.”
The display only lasted a few seconds, however.
Members of security wrestled the flag from their hands and began shoving them toward the aisle.
Horrified onlookers remained in their pews as the group was led outside.
Some rose to their feet, while others pointed cellphones at the ruckus, cameras rolling.
Three climate demonstrators arrested this evening after interrupting Easter services at St. Patrick’s Cathedral with a banner reading, “Silence = Death.”
As they were shoved out, one yelled out, “Free Palestine!” pic.twitter.com/WifGlqzWOm
— PRO_NYC (@protest_nyc) March 31, 2024
As they were ushered away, heads began to turn as a chant rang out: “Free, free Palestine!”
One protestor, identified only as Matthew M., said he believed churches calling for an end to the conflict in Gaza could “make a difference.”
“The United Nations Security Council calling for a ceasefire is a good start, but churches making ceasefire statements is also a part of the solution,” he said.
Since the start of the war in the Middle East, the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops has called for peace and decried the mass casualty of civilians.
Before the commencement of Holy Week, the group issued a call for prayer in the Middle East and an end to the Israel-Hamas conflict.
Extinction Rebellion is a far-left UK-founded “climate justice” organization that commits itself to “nonviolent direct action.”
The Palestine Solidarity chapter is an affinity group of the Extinction Rebellion New York City wing.
“War, occupation, and industrial pollution are poisoning the soil, air, and water in Gaza and all over the planet, destroying the earth’s capacity to sustain life,” activist Gregory Schwedock said.
The Easter Mass upset drew impassioned reactions from people on social media.
“They couldn’t keep it on the street in front of the church. No,” wrote one user in a post on X.
“They had to interfere with the rights of others on a holy day and create a disturbance.”
“When they do something like this, do they honestly think that others will rush to their cause?”
“How to lose sympathy immediately: don’t respect others and expect them to tolerate you,” another post on X remarked.
Yet another deemed the display “inappropriate.”
“They shouldn’t be interrupting church or any religious ceremony,” the user wrote.
“Let the Catholics do their service in peace.”
Saturday night was not the first time the protest group has interrupted a religious service.
In December 2023, Extinction Rebellion disrupted a Mass in Turin, Italy, as protestors quoted Pope Francis’s writings about “global warming.”
Archbishop Roberto Repole issued a statement after the incident, saying he had “great esteem for those who mobilize for the defense of creation and accept the appeals of Pope Francis.”
Nevertheless, Repole said he was “sorry that they decided to take the floor in the Duomo without first wanting to talk to me and ask if they could intervene.
“I would have replied that at Mass we often pray for peace and for the preservation of creation, but the Eucharistic celebration is not a suitable time to host public interventions.”
Dolan has yet to issue a statement regarding the Easter Mass protests.
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