This story was originally published by the WND News Center.
A Christian organization obtained a permit and held a rally in Seattle. Leftists enraged by the faith messages being delivered counter-rallied, and 23 ended up being arrested.
So the mayor assigned the blame to the Christian victims.
A Fox News report described how Seattle Mayor Bruce Harrell has "blamed a Christian rally and infiltrating 'anarchists' for violence" at the weekend event.
"The Seattle Police Department reported 23 people were arrested at Cal Anderson Park during MayDayUSA's 'Don't Mess With Our Kids' rally and a pro-LGBTQ counter-protest. According to SPD, police witnessed 'multiple people inside one group throw items at the opposing group' and, while arresting individuals, were assaulted by other individuals, leading to an officer requiring medical treatment," the report explained.
Harrell's office immediately defended the LGBT community and blasted the "far-right" members who originally organized the rally. Their fault, the statement said, was that they were "provoking" the violent reaction.
It's a classic maneuver used by leftists often to censor those with words they won't tolerate. Leftists create a violent conflict with conservative speakers and authorities then conclude they should censor the conservatives or order to prevent the violence being triggered by leftists.
The mayor's statement said, "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."
The statement did attribute some of the trouble to "anarchists" who were siding with the counter-protesters.
Harrell then added his endorsement of people who peacefully protest the "extreme right-wing national effort to attack our trans and LGBTQ+ communities," the report said.
And he wants a review of how that Christian group even obtained a rally permit.
"While there are broad First Amendment requirements around permitting events under free speech protections, I am directing 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. The Police Department will complete an after-action report of this event, including understanding preparation, crowd management tactics, and review of arrests and citations."
The report said local outlets confirmed that counter-protesters included members of organizations like the Seattle Democratic Socialists of America and such.
MayDayUSA is holding a series of rallies to "stand for our children, restore the family unit, and proclaim the gospel of Jesus, according to an event sponsor.
The mayor's censorial agenda also has prompted a protest plan by those who have announced they will meet outside Seattle City Hall to oppose religious bigotry.
Constitutional expert Jonathan Turley, who has not only testified before Congress as an expert on the Constitution but also has represented members in court in constitutional disputes, said it is to the city's credit that police arrested "the radicals."
"However, what happened next is even more concerning: Mayor Bruce Harrell seemed to blame the Christian group and demanded to know why they were given a permit at all for an event in the area," he explained.
He explained, "One would hope that the mayor would respond with a simple statement defending free speech (including both the church and peaceful counterprotesters) while condemning the attack." Instead, Harrell condemned the religious organization members "while demanding an investigation into why they were given this permit instead of being moved into a more remote spot."
He explained, "I do not know anything about this Christian group, but they were clearly the victims, not the cause, of this violence. The suggestion that the location was too triggering for transgender activists is yet another example of a failure of leadership on the left."
