What should have been a peaceful Christian worship event in Seattle’s Cal Anderson Park spiraled into chaos Saturday when Antifa activists descended on the MayDay USA rally. Despite being a permitted event aimed at promoting family values and religious freedom, the gathering quickly turned volatile as counter-protesters arrived in force. Within hours, twenty-three people were arrested, and one police officer was hospitalized.
But the most disturbing moment came when a young mother carrying a baby and holding her toddler’s hand was surrounded, screamed at, and nearly charged by black-clad agitators. A now-viral video shows the child crying in terror while Antifa members close in, shouting profanities and obscenities. One man even attempted to lunge through the police line to get to the family before being tackled and arrested.
To make matters worse, Seattle’s Democrat Mayor Bruce Harrell responded not by condemning the attackers—but by blaming the Christian rally itself. Harrell labeled the event a “far-right provocation” for being held in the same park once occupied by the notorious CHAZ/CHOP zone. He accused organizers of deliberately stoking tensions in a predominantly LGBT neighborhood.
HAPPENING NOW: Seattle PD arrests dozens of Antifa, transgender activists, and far-left militants at Cal Anderson Park in the Capitol Hill neighborhood.
Authorities began making arrests after hundreds of activists appeared to engage in melees and brawls outside of a praise and… pic.twitter.com/GP6Fy3amHE
— FRONTLINES (@FrontlinesTPUSA) May 24, 2025
However, new revelations show that it was city officials who pushed the rally into that location. Organizers had initially requested Pike Street near the Pike Place Market, but were steered toward Cal Anderson Park by the Parks Department. That fact alone has ignited criticism of Harrell’s response, with many accusing him of playing politics with public safety.
Pastor Russell Johnson, who led the worship event, called Harrell’s statements “bigoted” and demanded an apology. “The mayor owes Christians across Washington an apology,” Johnson said. “These were peaceful worshippers attacked by political extremists—and instead of condemning the thugs, the city blamed the victims.”
The mob’s behavior, captured on video, included chants of “f*** you, pig” directed at police officers who were trying to protect families and de-escalate the crowd. One officer can be seen helping to carry the frightened toddler away from the chaos.
Critics have blasted the city’s apparent failure to properly plan or protect the event. Alliance Defending Freedom is reportedly evaluating legal action, and a follow-up rally is planned outside Seattle City Hall.
What happened to that mother and her kids wasn’t just a fluke. It was the natural result of a political culture that paints everyday Christians as extremists and gives violent radicals a pass. And it proves a growing point of frustration for voters across the country: when law-abiding citizens are vilified while anarchists are coddled, the moral compass of leadership is broken.
People of faith should never have to wonder if they’ll be attacked while singing worship songs in a public park. They certainly shouldn’t have to carry their crying children through a gauntlet of rage-fueled extremists just to get home.
This isn’t just about Seattle. It’s about the kind of country we want to live in—and whether the government protects your right to worship, or enables mobs to silence you.
And make no mistake: Americans are watching. And they are fed up.
