Pro-life Christians held a prayer event at Cal Anderson Park in Seattle, Washington, over the weekend.
But the viewpoints expressed at the Mayday USA event — in support of the “sanctity of human life, the sacrality of biological gender, the importance of the nuclear family, and the right to freedom of speech and religion” — proved intolerable not only to the leftist radicals whose violent response prompted police to shut down the event early but also to the city’s Democratic mayor who subsequently smeared the Christian organizers as bigots.
‘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.’
The purpose of the Mayday USA tour — which is linked to the “#DontMessWithOurKids movement” — is to “offer prayer and resources to help post-abortive men and women, trafficking victims, those who desire freedom from same-sex attraction, and those who are struggling with sexual and drug addictions throughout their restoration process.”
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Photographer: David Ryder/Bloomberg via Getty Images
Ahead of Saturday’s main event — which featured speeches, musical performances, and prayer — there were free haircuts for kids and bicycle giveaways. Roughly 500 people attended the prayer rally, reported the Seattle Times.
However, hundreds of leftists — including members of the groups Radical Women, Puget Sound Mobilization for Reproductive Justice, Freedom Socialist Party, Organized Workers for Labor Solidarity — also showed up. But they weren’t there to pray.
The leftists — later thanked by Democratic Mayor Bruce Harrell — circulated a post claiming event organizers were pushing “fascist ‘family values,'” were waging a “war on trans & queer folk,” and were somehow linked to a “racist Christian identity movement,” as well as to President Donald Trump, Elon Musk, and Project 2025.
While the leftists’ stated goal was to send the message that “bigotry is not welcome here,” it appears their aim actually was to shut down Mayday USA.
Seattle Police swooped into action, making numerous arrests after leftists protesting the Christian prayer event turned to violence.
According to the Seattle Police Department, officers initially intervened after witnesses observed “multiple people inside one group throw items at the opposing group” around 1:30 p.m.
‘Seattle is proud of our reputation as a welcoming, inclusive city for LGBTQ+ communities.’
What’s more, while officers were taking violent individuals into custody, additional radicals physically attacked police. One officer injured during the ensuing scuffle was taken to hospital for treatment.
Just before 5 p.m. local time, the SPD announced on X that it requested backup from the Washington State Patrol.
Police said they charged 22 individuals with assault and obstruction and took them to King County Jail. A juvenile also was arrested for obstruction but later was cut loose.
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While leftists appeared to have initiated the violence, the Democrat mayor — who admitted to “displaying” a gun amid a 1996 dispute with a pregnant woman over a parking spot — reserved his fury for the peaceful Christians whom law enforcement protected.
“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,” Harrell said in a statement Saturday. “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.”
‘We are just warming up.’
Harrell, who’s presently campaigning for reelection, suggested further that the Christian organizers were questioning the “humanity of trans people and those who have been historically marginalized.”
After suggesting that the leftist violence was the result of anarchist infiltrators, Harrell expressed gratitude for those who peacefully protested the event and indicated that he was directing Seattle Parks and Recreation 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.”
“In the face of an extreme right-wing national effort to attack our trans and LGBTQ+ communities, Seattle will continue to stand unwavering in our embrace of diversity, love for our neighbors, and commitment to justice and fairness,” added the mayor whose city has a 1-rating on the Neighborhood Scout crime index; a 100-rating is the safest.
Jenny Donnelly — host of the event and founder of the Christian prayer organization Her Voice Mvmt — blasted the mayor over his mischaracterizations.
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Donnelly noted that her team had: worked with the parks department for weeks; originally requested an alternate location but “were told no and given Cal Anderson Park”; cooperated with police and ended their event 2.5-hours early due to the leftist violence; and had not come to “attack” anyone but “stayed in [their] permitted area, worshipped, and did not engage any of the counter protestors.”
The Seattle Police Officers Guild said it welcomes a mayoral review of the parks department’s decision to authorize a permit for Cal Anderson Park — not because the Christian families were somehow undeserving but because “this park is commonly known as the heart of ANTIFA land.”
“We have no doubt that this city decision, as naïve or deliberate as it was, put police officers in an untenable predicament,” the guild said in a statement.
“A riot started in Cal Anderson Park in Seattle formerly known as the CHOP zone. Why?” wrote evangelist Ross Johnston, a co-host of the event. “The church showed up outside to worship Jesus and preach the gospel! Let me make it clear, we are just warming up and WE AIN’T BACKING DOWN.”
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