A mob disrupted a planned gathering with Jewish visitors at a pro-Israel church in California, shouting vulgarities at attendees through bullhorns and blocking their path as they attempted to leave, a new lawsuit claims.
The Mission Church of Carlsbad and The Christian & Jewish Alliance of San Diego claim they are facing a “campaign of disruption and harassment” due to their members’ support for Israel, according to the federal complaint filed on Tuesday by attorneys with First Liberty Institute and Jones Day.
“We at The Mission Church simply want to be able to worship and support our local Jewish community without fear or intimidation,” Pastor JC Cooper said in a statement. “It’s of the utmost importance that our congregation feels safe in our house of worship.”
On three separate occasions, a group of agitators has shown up to disrupt worship services, with the lawsuit noting that several of them are affiliated with CODEPINK, an activist group accused of antisemitism in the past.
The attorneys behind the suit cited the Freedom of Access to Clinic Entrances (FACE) Act, which prohibits the use of force, the threat of force, and intentional property damage to interfere with religious practice.
“Defendants have committed and are almost certain to continue committing violations of the FACE Act, by their injury, intimidation, and obstruction of Jews and Christians seeking to exercise their First Amendment rights of religious freedom at places of religious worship,” the lawsuit stated.
A spokesperson for CODEPINK told The Christian Post the organization does not comment on any ongoing or pending litigation.
According to the lawsuit, the first disruption occurred during a worship service at the church on March 19. The church had partnered with the alliance to host the event, which was headlined by Einat Wilf, a Jewish scholar and a former member of the Israeli Knesset.
Around 400 people attended the event, including 200 members of the local Jewish community, according to the suit.
“The purpose of the event was religious. Members of the Church gathered to pray corporately for their Jewish neighbors and the peace of Israel, worship, learn about the ongoing conflict, and encourage the local Jewish community as a part of their Christian duty,” the lawsuit explained.
Nearly half an hour into the event, dozens of protesters occupied the sidewalk outside the church’s front door. The demonstrators wielded bullhorns and attempted to drown out the sound of the speaker in the auditorium, and they also held up signs with graphic images of dismembered children, the lawsuit noted.
Shouting through the bullhorns, the protesters engaged in chants and loudly accused attendees of being “Nazis.” The attendees could hear the commotion outside, according to the suit, which interfered with the worship service inside.
Another group of agitators entered the event by registering under fake names, and they posed as guests as part of their strategy to disrupt the worship service. The inside protesters started shouting and filming congregants at various intervals before the church’s safety team escorted them out.
Most of the protesters physically resisted the removal by kicking and hitting members of the church’s safety team, according to the lawsuit. As a result of the protesters’ actions, several attendees opted to leave the event early, with the church’s safety team escorting them to their cars.
“Other attendees did not have that luxury, as the Church parking lot could not accommodate everyone in attendance,” the lawsuit stated. “Those who parked at the overflow parking lot across the street and wished to leave early were forced to walk through a gauntlet of disruptors at the Church’s entrance to reach their vehicles.”
One month later, the disruptors returned on Easter Sunday, deterring visitors from attending worship services by shouting into bullhorns, targeting children’s activities in the parking lot, and blocking access to the Church’s overflow parking lot.
“This four-hour disruption had its intended effect: to further intimidate the members and guests (including small children) who attended the Church’s services,” the suit said.
Protesters interfered with an interfaith worship event on Sept. 7, which was sponsored by the church and hosted by the alliance. Demonstrators blocked access to the venue’s entrances. They later gathered at the back of the amphitheater, “blaring imitation police sirens and hurling epithets for three hours during the interfaith prayer and worship service.”
When Ruth Mastron, a Jewish woman who joined the lawsuit, pulled up to the worship event, a masked individual jumped on the hood of her car and started screaming and banging on the windshield.
The experience has caused Mastron “severe stress and lingering anxiety,” and she experiences “heightened situational awareness and anxiety when in public in her own community” due to the defendants’ actions, the suit stated.
Citing public comments from the defendants, the lawsuit argued that they “have no regrets about their actions” and have vowed “to continue ‘doing our part to fight the war against Zionism, which is an abomination. … We ain’t shuttin’ up and we ain’t goin nowhere.'”
The attorneys behind the lawsuit noted that multiple complaints have been filed in relation to anti-Israel protests that occurred throughout the country following the Hamas-led terrorist attack in southern Israel on Oct. 7, 2023, that sparked Israel’s military offensive in Gaza.
“Unchecked antisemitism expands, adding to its target any who show solidarity with the Jewish people and the nation of Israel,” the lawsuit warned.
“Christians, like those of The Mission Church, make easy targets for those hoping to isolate the Jewish people, intimidating those who would otherwise be their closest supporters,” the document continued. “Such anti-Christian prejudice thus becomes a subset of antisemitism.”
Samantha Kamman is a reporter for The Christian Post. She can be reached at: samantha.kamman@christianpost.com. Follow her on Twitter: @Samantha_Kamman
