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On Tuesday, Paula White-Cain, head of the White House Faith Office, issued a strong statement condemning the violent disruption by Antifa of a Christian concert in a Seattle park on Saturday.
“The White House Faith Office condemns the violent disruption of Seattle’s MayDay USA worship event,” White-Cain said. “We affirm the fundamental rights to free speech and religious freedom for all Americans, as protected by federal law. Public officials must protect the inalienable rights of all citizens, regardless of their faith or religious beliefs.”
She urged Seattle’s city officials to uphold these protections and ensure that people of faith can gather without fear of harassment or violence. Her statement came just hours after Dan Bongino, a senior FBI official, announced that the Bureau has opened an investigation into "allegations of targeted violence against religious groups at the Seattle concert."
The investigation follows an incident on Saturday, when MayDay USA, a Christian organization, held a permitted worship concert at Cal Anderson Park, the site of the deadly former CHOP, or Capitol Hill Occupied Protest. Leftist occupiers later changed their name to the Capitol Hill Autonomous Zone. The Saturday event drew Antifa-aligned counter-protesters who targeted the peaceful Christian worshipers. Twenty-three left-wing radicals were arrested for their involvement in the melee.
In a controversial response, Seattle Mayor Bruce Harrell placed the blame for the violence on the Christian group, describing the worship event as a “far-right rally.” He said, “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 went on to assert that, “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.”
However, newly surfaced information revealed that the location of the event—Cal Anderson Park on Capitol Hill—was not the first choice of MayDay USA organizers. While they initially proposed hosting the event on Pike Street near the iconic Pike Place Market, a city official instead recommended “other Seattle Parks locations,” including Cal Anderson Park.
This revelation sparked criticism of Mayor Harrell’s handling of the situation. His administration's role in steering the event toward the park clashes with his later public condemnation, which framed the location choice as a deliberate affront to LGBTQ+ residents. The contradiction fueled accusations of political posturing and led to public outcry.
On Tuesday, tensions flared again as Christian demonstrators gathered outside City Hall, calling for Harrell to apologize or resign. Counter-protesters, including Antifa and trans rights activists, returned to confront the group, resulting in another 8 arrests of the left-wing radicals.
English (US) ·