Right-wing activist Eoin Richard was carried out of a church over the weekend after an anti-Islam protest ended in chaos.
Richard intended to launch his Take Back L.A.: Free Speech Rally on Sunday at the Islamic Center of Southern California, but he ended up at Precious Blood Catholic Church after claiming to have received death threats. He was quickly outnumbered by counterprotesters, chased through the church, and assaulted at a nearby Starbucks.
‘We aren’t going to be able to march to the Islamic Center due to threats on our lives.’
In videos posted to Instagram, Richard and at least one supporter are seen fleeing into Precious Blood Catholic Church while agitators follow closely behind.
After being picked up and removed from the church, Richard is cornered at a nearby Starbucks along with his companion. The activist group shouted that he is a “Nazi,” a “piece of s**t,” and a “terrorist.”
“JIHADISTS and ANTIFA storm CATHOLIC CHURCH and abduct EOIN RICHARD after mass,” Richard’s Instagram caption reads.
Masked assailants later poured blue paint all over Richard and his companion. Eventually, Los Angeles Police Department officers arrived to escort the men from the store. They did not appear to make any arrests.
A day prior to the confrontation, multiple Islamic organizations drew attention to Richard’s event.
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Nihad Awad, the executive director of the Council on American-Islamic Relations, says so many minorities, including American Muslims, “have been attacked in the past two years.” (Bill Pugliano/Getty Images file photo)
The Council on American-Islamic Relations Los Angeles, the Muslim Public Affairs Council, and the Islamic Shura Council of Southern California condemned Richard’s rally in a press release Saturday.
“ICSC has served as a place of worship, community, and belonging in L.A. for generations. Attempts to bring hate, intimidation, or fear to the doorstep of any house of worship have no place in our city,” ICSC spokesperson Omar Ricci said in a statement. “We will not allow those who seek to divide our communities to define who we are or how we respond.”
MPAC even provided its followers with detailed background information on Eoin Richard, sometimes referred to as Eoin Richard Connolly, and his activism.
“There is no identified public evidence that Connolly has explicitly called for violence against the Islamic Center, Muslims, or event participants,” MPAC admitted in its community alert and threat assessment posted to Facebook.
MPAC did, however, warn its followers that Richard’s flyer combined “explicitly Christian mobilization with Crusader-associated symbolism” and that he had “documented relationships with activists involved in confrontational protests.”
“We aren’t going to be able to march to the Islamic Center due to threats on our lives. But we’re still having our rally here, rallying with Christians and Catholics here in L.A.,” Richard said in an Instagram story filmed outside of Precious Blood.
Richard, Precious Blood Catholic Church, the Archdiocese of Los Angeles, MPAC, the LAPD, CAIR-LA, and the ICSC did not respond to requests for comment.
It is unclear who removed Richard from the church.
Richard was previously a candidate for Los Angeles mayor, according to the L.A. Times.
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