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Three protesters from a group called "Extinction Rebellion (XR) NYC Palestine Solidarity" were arrested after disrupting the March 30 Easter Vigil at St. Patrick's Cathedral in New York.
Protesters unraveled a banner reading "Silence = Death" before the altar.
Protesters disrupted the vigil, which was part of the Easter Triduum, a three-day period that begins on Holy Thursday and ends on Easter Sunday. The protesters called for an immediate cease-fire in the Israel-Hamas war. (Image XR NYC Palestine Solidarity, an affinity group of Extinction Rebellion)
The men, 63-year-old John Rozendaal, 35-year-old Gregory Schwedock and 31-year-old Matthew Menzies, were charged under New York state law with disruption of a religious service, a spokesperson for the New York Police Department told OSV News.
Four videos provided by XR NYC Palestine Solidarity filmed from various seats within the pews — show the three men plus two women walking up the center aisle during the Mass, as the lector begins to read in Spanish from St. Paul's Letter to the Romans. A middle-aged man and two senior women in the pew ahead of the camera are seen standing up as the lector begins; the man wearing a Palestinian scarf and one of the women begins singing "Dona Nobis Pacem" as the lector proclaims the epistle.
The other five individuals faced the congregation and presented a large rectangular banner reading "Silence = Death," framed by a red hourglass (a symbol of environmental protesters to represent extinction) and a green olive tree, a reference to Palestine.
A clergy member and several cathedral security staff quickly took hold of the banner, with the protesters shouting and a shoving. In a few frames, the unidentified clergy member appears to have been pushed by one of the protesters. The banner holders began shouting, with one of the women displaying a Palestinian scarf, as they were removed from the cathedral.
The protesters in the pews did not appear to have been escorted from the cathedral, according to the video clips. The lector continued with the reading throughout the disruption.
According to a press release XR NYC Palestine Solidarity describes itself as "an affinity group of Extinction Rebellion New York City activists fighting for a free and peaceful Palestine."
XR NYC has "probably between 400-700" members, while the Palestine Solidarity group has "about 75 to 100."
XR itself was founded in London in 2018 as what it calls "a global movement that uses nonviolent civil disobedience in an attempt to halt mass extinction and minimize the risk of social collapse." The group claims to have 988 local groups in 87 countries.
Rozendaal told OSV News in a text message that St. Patrick's Cathedral was chosen for the protest since it is "one of the most prestigious and powerful institutions in New York City (the Diocese of New York), and in the world (the Roman Catholic Church)."
In his text, Rozendaal described the protest as a "daunting, actually frightening proposition," adding that "the act of disobedience and disorder … has to be weighed against the option of a silence which is complicity in genocide —- 2 million people now being starved to death."
Protesters unraveled a banner reading "Silence = Death" before the altar.
Protesters disrupted the vigil, which was part of the Easter Triduum, a three-day period that begins on Holy Thursday and ends on Easter Sunday. The protesters called for an immediate cease-fire in the Israel-Hamas war. (Image XR NYC Palestine Solidarity, an affinity group of Extinction Rebellion)
The men, 63-year-old John Rozendaal, 35-year-old Gregory Schwedock and 31-year-old Matthew Menzies, were charged under New York state law with disruption of a religious service, a spokesperson for the New York Police Department told OSV News.
Three climate demonstrators arrested this evening after interrupting Easter services at St. Patrick's Cathedral with a banner reading, "Silence = Death."
— PRO_NYC (@protest_nyc) March 31, 2024
As they were shoved out, one yelled out, "Free Palestine!" pic.twitter.com/WifGlqzWOm
Four videos provided by XR NYC Palestine Solidarity filmed from various seats within the pews — show the three men plus two women walking up the center aisle during the Mass, as the lector begins to read in Spanish from St. Paul's Letter to the Romans. A middle-aged man and two senior women in the pew ahead of the camera are seen standing up as the lector begins; the man wearing a Palestinian scarf and one of the women begins singing "Dona Nobis Pacem" as the lector proclaims the epistle.
The other five individuals faced the congregation and presented a large rectangular banner reading "Silence = Death," framed by a red hourglass (a symbol of environmental protesters to represent extinction) and a green olive tree, a reference to Palestine.
A clergy member and several cathedral security staff quickly took hold of the banner, with the protesters shouting and a shoving. In a few frames, the unidentified clergy member appears to have been pushed by one of the protesters. The banner holders began shouting, with one of the women displaying a Palestinian scarf, as they were removed from the cathedral.
The protesters in the pews did not appear to have been escorted from the cathedral, according to the video clips. The lector continued with the reading throughout the disruption.
According to a press release XR NYC Palestine Solidarity describes itself as "an affinity group of Extinction Rebellion New York City activists fighting for a free and peaceful Palestine."
XR NYC has "probably between 400-700" members, while the Palestine Solidarity group has "about 75 to 100."
XR itself was founded in London in 2018 as what it calls "a global movement that uses nonviolent civil disobedience in an attempt to halt mass extinction and minimize the risk of social collapse." The group claims to have 988 local groups in 87 countries.
Rozendaal told OSV News in a text message that St. Patrick's Cathedral was chosen for the protest since it is "one of the most prestigious and powerful institutions in New York City (the Diocese of New York), and in the world (the Roman Catholic Church)."
In his text, Rozendaal described the protest as a "daunting, actually frightening proposition," adding that "the act of disobedience and disorder … has to be weighed against the option of a silence which is complicity in genocide —- 2 million people now being starved to death."
Sources: NCR - Extinction Rebellion NYC 
- https://docs.google.com/document/d/1JkbPKWElrIWOx-sYJs2148M5wiIa-PfQ6YBkFirQigE/mobilebasic and OSV News
- https://docs.google.com/document/d/1JkbPKWElrIWOx-sYJs2148M5wiIa-PfQ6YBkFirQigE/mobilebasic and OSV News
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