Easter Vigil at St. Patrick’s Cathedral disrupted by anti-Israel protestors

Thousands of demonstrators on Saturday night disrupted the Easter Vigil ceremony at St. Patrick’s Cathedral in New York City, raising “free Palestine” slogans and demanding a ceasefire in Gaza.
These demonstrators initially gathered in Times Square for “Palestinian Land Day”. Some of them were seen carrying a flag with an olive tree with “SILENCE = DEATH” written across it.
The demonstrators were promptly escorted out of the service, according to Fox News.
One yelled “Free Palestine” as the protestors were taken away , according to a video posted on X.
The chaos went unnoticed by many who attended the service, which was presided over by New York Archbishop Cardinal Timothy Dolan.
Millions of people came out together on Palestinian Land Day to condemn the Israel-Hamas war worldwide.
Meanwhile, the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops (USCCB) called for prayer, peace, and an end to the violence in the Middle East in a statement released before the commencement of Holy Week.
The statement said, “We are connected to the very source of hope as the Church enters Holy Week and Christ’s suffering on the cross and his resurrection are made present to us so vividly.”
The USCCB has also expressed outrage at civilian killings, claiming that the ongoing Israel-Hamas war has claimed the lives of thousands of innocent civilians and has left thousands more uprooted and in terrible suffering. The bishops declared, “This must stop.”
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Social media users responded fiercely to the chaos that occurred during Easter Mass.
‘They couldn’t keep it on the street in front of the church. No. They had to interfere with the rights of others on a holy day and create a disturbance,’ wrote one user on X, formerly Twitter.
“Put them in jail for the most serious of trespassing imaginable,” the second user said, while one more added, “How do they not realize that this actually turns people against their cause?”
“Evil, wrong, AND uniformed. Thank you for reminding us your cause isn’t hated enough,” another netizen remarked.
Stressing that the protestors shouldn’t interrupt church or any religious ceremony”, one more stated: “Let the Catholics do their service in peace.”
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As there were reports that the protest was staged by the “climate protestors”, one user remarked: ““Climate” protestors. One of them pulled out a keffiyeh and shook it in the face of Christians worshipping on the holiest of holy days on the Christian calendar. But sure, “climate” protestors.”
Over 32,000 Palestinians have been killed in Gaza amid the ongoing war between Israel and Palestine, said the health ministry in Hamas-run Gaza, according to AFP.
It also stated that 74,298 people have been injured in the Gaza Strip since the conflict started on October 7, when Hamas militants attacked Israel, killing at least 1,200 people.