Pastor Russell Johnson Speaks Out after Christians Assaulted at Worship Rally in Seattle
A Seattle-based pastor is addressing the chaotic scene that transpired after hundreds of Antifa militants at Seattle's Cal Anderson Park "swarmed" a worship event. Russell Johnson, Pastor of The Pursuit NW, led a Mayday USA rally early last month, offering prayer and worship and free haircuts, bike giveaways, and groceries for the community.
Antifa protestors, however, later "swarmed" the event, including reportedly throwing urine-filled balloons.
[Saturday's] event has, of course, been labeled by the media as some sort of anti-LGBT-type rally, and it wasn't," Johnson told Fox News host Laura Ingraham last Thursday on "The Ingraham Angle."
"We were swarmed by hundreds of Antifa militants... They were throwing water-balloons filled with urine at Christians who stood in the park and were assaulted for the high crime of worshiping Jesus in a public space," he explained.
More than 20 arrests were made, according to Fox News. Following the event, however, Seattle Mayor Bruce Harrell's office released a statement defending the LGBTQ community and protesters while denouncing the worship event as a "far-right" rally.
"Seattle is proud of our reputation as a welcoming, inclusive city for LGBTQ+ communities, and we stand with our trans neighbors when they face bigotry and injustice," the statement read. "Today's far-right rally was held here for this very reason — to provoke a reaction by promoting beliefs that are inherently opposed to our city's values in the heart of Seattle's most prominent LGBTQ+ neighborhood."
In his defense, Johnson contended that the Mayday event was not intended to "invoke" a reaction but was done in an "uplifting, hopeful, God can change anything, Jesus has the power to transform your life" way.
"It wasn't this Westboro Baptist, hateful rhetoric. It was people sharing a hopeful, optimistic outlook on what it looks like when God begins to work in your life," he told Ingraham.
Johnson also planned an event at Seattle City Hall on Tuesday in response to the mayor, and claimed that demonstrators responded with "similar" opposition.
"Antifa was out in force. They bloodied and beat up good church people who stood in line to try to get into a rally to sing hymns and worship songs and pray for the direction of the city," Johnson said.
Additionally, people beyond Christians and conservative circles who wanted to "stand with Christians at City Hall because we believe in the First Amendment," following Johnson's announcement of Tuesday's rally.
Previously speaking with Fox News Digital, Harrell's press secretary, Callie Craighead, said that Harrell "remains steadfast in his denouncement of rhetoric from groups whose messages promote exclusion, intolerance, and undermine the dignity and rights of any community member — particularly those that are marginalized, like our LGBTQ+ community."
"As a Christian himself, the mayor is guided by the Christian values of love and justice, and his comments have specifically addressed ideologies that are in contrast to Seattle's commitment to being a welcoming city for all," he added. "Like any faith community, Christianity is not a monolith — and many Christians throughout Seattle do not hold the beliefs expressed by the organizers of the Mayday rally."
On the other hand, Johnson, who claimed the Seattle mayor "terminated his political career by releasing those statements," criticized Harrell's position.
"It's a clown show with these leftist, agitator-supporting politicians who are so out of touch with a wide swath of their constituents," he said.
On Tuesday, FBI Deputy Director Dan Bongino said he called for an investigation into allegations of "targeted violence" against religious groups.
WATCH: Pastor Speaks Out after Protestors Swarm Worship Event in Seattle
Photo Credit: ©Left: YouTube/CBN News Right: YouTube/Fox News
Originally published June 02, 2025.
