Patriot Brief
- What Happened: Court filings reveal protesters storming Cities Church blocked parents from reaching their children and verbally abused kids during Sunday service.
- Why It Matters: Federal authorities say the coordinated action crossed into intimidation at a place of worship and traumatized families.
- Bottom Line: New details intensify scrutiny of the protest as criminal interference, not protected speech.
Horrifying new details are emerging about the invasion of Cities Church in Minnesota, and it was worse than anyone first understood.
According to a sworn affidavit filed by a Homeland Security Investigations agent, a coordinated group of agitators stormed a Sunday service and terrorized families inside the church. Witnesses told investigators that protesters blocked stairways leading to the childcare area, leaving parents unable to reach their children during the chaos. Children cried as adults shouted and the service was cut short.
The affidavit alleges the mob screamed in the faces of women and young kids. One agitator repeatedly yelled “Nazi” at congregants and told a child, “Do you know your parents are Nazis? They’re going to burn in Hell.” Multiple witnesses described the scene as surreal, with people praying and singing hymns while others shouted insults and threats.
Authorities say the group targeted the church because one pastor also serves as a federal immigration official. Investigators allege the protesters met beforehand in a nearby parking lot to plan the disruption, which one participant described as a clandestine operation designed to disrupt business as usual.
Three individuals were charged under the Freedom of Access to Clinic Entrances Act, which also protects religious worship from intimidation and interference. All three were released the next day. One woman was injured after falling as parishioners tried to flee.
Video from inside the church shows the pastor calmly asking intruders to leave so he could care for his congregation. The affidavit paints a stark picture of a coordinated assault on a place of worship where children were caught in the middle.
These details change the frame. This was not a protest outside a building. It was an invasion inside a sanctuary, with kids targeted and parents blocked from reaching them.