Seattle Mayor Appears To Blame Christians For Being Violently Attacked

VDB Photos / Shutterstock.com / IMAGE NOT OF MAYDAY EVENT

Lead pastor of Pursuit NW, Russell Johnson, is demanding Seattle Mayor Bruce Harrell resign after he blamed Christians for “provoking” violence against them at a rally in May.

The faith-based MayDay USA organization, known for encouraging Christians to speak out on the issues that matter most to us, like abortion, child trafficking, and more, were met by an estimated 500 counter-protestors during their May rally at Cal Anderson Park in Seattle, Washington. The protestors were waving flags in support of “transgender” people, and started clashing with law enforcement “almost immediately after gathering around 1 p.m., with officers in riot gear being shoved and soon pelted with water bottles and other items,” according to the New York Post.

An estimated 23 protestors were arrested over the course of five hours, and it is unclear how many of them were from the “Keep Your Bibles off Our Bodies,” but reports reviewed by Million Voices suggest all but one of those placed under arrest came from the counter-Christian protest. All of those arrested were released on their own personal recognizance by Judge Pro Tem Sarah Perez, according to local radio host Jason Rantz.

The purpose of MayDay’s event was to promote family values and the #Dontmesswithourkids tours, the outlet noted. The Seattle mayor felt the need to describe the situation very differently from those who were present, and a majority of the press:

Mayor Harrell’s Statement

“Seattle is proud of our reputation as a welcoming, inclusive city for LGBTQ+ communities, and we stand with our trans neighbors when they face bigotry and injustice. Today’s far-right rally was held here for this very reason – to provoke a reaction by promoting beliefs that are inherently opposed to our city’s values, in the heart of Seattle’s most prominent LGBTQ+ neighborhood,” Harrell said in a statement.

“When the humanity of trans people and those who have been historically marginalized is questioned, we triumph by demonstrating our values through our words and peaceful protest – we lose our voice when this is disrupted by violence, chaos, and confusion.” He then blamed “anarchists” who “infiltrated the counter-protestors group and inspired violence, prompting SPD to make arrests and ask organizers to shut down the event early, which they did.”

Harrell is having “the Parks Department to review all of the circumstances of this application to understand whether there were legal location alternatives or other adjustments that could have been pursued,” but felt the need to note that this is being done almost despite the “broad First Amendment requirements around permitting events under free speech protections.”

Johnson seemed to be encouraged that Harrell is having the Parks Department look into the situation, as emails show that the rally was not supposed to take place in the park, as the organizers shared evidence they requested a permit for Pike Place. This permit was rejected, and Cal Anderson Park was suggested by the city, according to a screenshot shared by Johnson.

Christian & Legal Response

“The Mayor of Seattle owes Christians in WA State an apology for his bigoted remarks after folks who were holding a peaceful worship event at Cal Anderson Park were violently assaulted for the high crime of expressing their deeply held religious beliefs in the form of a permitted worship event on city property,” Johnson wrote on social media. “23 antifa thugs were arrested,” he added.

“Cops were hospitalized. Church people were assaulted. And the Mayor of Seattle has the audacity to blame Christians for the violence.”