(NewsReady.com) – Pride parades took place across the country on June 25. Members of the LGBTQ+ community turned out in droves to commemorate the anniversary of the 1969 Stonewall riots. Members of the religious community also turned out to protest the events. One pastor was harassed when he set up at one of the events.
Matthew “The Street Preacher” Meinecke attended the Pride parade in Seattle and read the holy word to the attendees. He was standing on a corner, reading his Bible out loud, when a mob of people confronted him. One man stood in front of the preacher and ripped his Bible to shreds.
Video of the incident shows the man telling him that nobody wants the preacher at the event. Meinecke is heard telling the man, identified by someone as “Daniel,” that he is “full of hate.” The man’s friends tell him to stop, but he continues to destroy the Bible. Someone who appears to be dressed as security for the event tells the man to walk away.
#EXCLUSIVE: Is this a hate crime? On Sunday afternoon, street preacher Matthew Meinecke says this man wearing a baseball cap and glasses tore up his Bible without any provocation. Meinecke says he was preaching at the corner of 4th Ave & Pine St in downtown #Seattle during the… pic.twitter.com/YuVzkhcGz7
— Jonathan Choe Journalist (Seattle) (@choeshow) June 26, 2023
Another video shows a different confrontation. A staff member at the parade walked up to the preacher and got in his face. In the video, the staffer repeatedly calls Meinecke a protester. According to an independent journalist at the event, labeling him a protester would have allowed the police to issue a trespassing warning because he didn’t have a permit to be there.
FREEDOM OF RELIGION: Listen to this debate. Street preacher Matthew Meinecke says he's simply reading from the Bible. But this staff member with Seattle Pride Parade(@OurSeattlePride) or Seattle Center(@seattlecenter) wants to spin it into a "protest." Seattle Center is public… pic.twitter.com/5qU8HN9lUV
— Jonathan Choe Journalist (Seattle) (@choeshow) June 26, 2023
Activists also barked at the preacher like dogs.
PRIDE SEATTLE: Attendees surround a street preacher and bark like rabid dogs as music blares in the background to drown him out.
Video by: @KatieDaviscourt pic.twitter.com/6AKU0I5esH
— The Post Millennial (@TPostMillennial) June 26, 2023
In addition to the harassment the preacher faced, children were subjected to naked men riding around on bicycles. They biked the parade route slowly, with their genitals exposed for everyone to see. Others joined them, and they danced in a fountain with water spraying on their bodies. Meanwhile, kids walked around the area and saw the whole thing. An LGBTQ+ influencer on TikTok condemned the behavior of the naked paradegoers, saying they were behaving as if they had no sense. The majority of the comments were from users who agreed.
Copyright 2023, NewsReady.com
