Prosecutors move forward with criminal case against pastor who protested outside Chinese Embassy
A Christian activist arrested for protesting on a public sidewalk outside the Chinese Embassy in Washington, D.C., has been ordered to stay off that sidewalk while prosecutors move forward with the case against him.
The Rev. Patrick Mahoney, leader of the Christian Defense Coalition, was arraigned on Wednesday in the Superior Court of the District of Columbia for an "unlawful entry" charge. He took part by phone from Idaho.
“Of course, I pled not guilty but here is what the DC court did. First, a judge issued a stay away order telling me that I cannot go back on the public sidewalk until the case is decided. Then, they proceeded to move forward with criminal charges against me and set the next court date for November 20,” Mahoney wrote in a Facebook post Wednesday.
Calling the developments “very disappointing and troubling,” Mahoney vowed, “We will continue to fight this and know we will prevail.”
“My own government arrested me for demonstrating and praying on a public sidewalk," Mahoney said. "Jailed me. Criminally charged me. Ordered me to stay off the public sidewalk and are now criminally prosecuting me in court. Remember, all of this is coming FROM the United States government and NOT the Chinese government.”
The American Center for Law and Justice, a legal organization, is representing Mahoney as he challenges the charge. In a statement, his attorney, Jordan Sekulow, vowed to fight the criminal charge in court.
“Was Rev. Mahoney breaking laws? No. Was he rioting? No. Was he destroying anything or threatening anyone? No. He was holding signs and had signs on the ground. On a public sidewalk. And the Chinese government had the U.S. Secret Service haul him off to jail,” Sekulow said.
“That may be how things work in China, but this isn’t China. This is America. Sidewalks are public forums protected by the First Amendment. We’ve got a real Constitution and a real judicial system, and we’re going to use it.”
"We’ve got a real Constitution and a real judicial system, and we’re going to use it," Sekulow added.
Mahoney spoke about the events leading up to his arrest in an interview with The Christian Post earlier this month, noting that the protest came shortly after Chinese President Xi Jinping visited the U.S.
“We were deeply troubled that our government, that President Trump rolled out the red carpet and had a state dinner for an oppressive dictator who crushes human rights, free speech, political dissent, … has overseen genocide, bulldozed churches, imprisoned academics and others,” he said.
“We were deeply troubled that our nation would honor such an oppressive leader in this way,” Mahoney added.
As part of the protest, Mahoney laid a “red fabric” on the sidewalk outside the embassy. He described it as “carpet-like.” It bore the names of people and groups persecuted by the Chinese government, including imprisoned media mogul Jimmy Lai, Hong Kong residents, Falun Gong practitioners and Uyghurs.
Mahoney said the people named on the fabric are those “we need to be honoring and remembering” rather than “someone who is an oppressor and brutalizing his people.”
The protest did not go unnoticed. Mahoney said Chinese diplomats inside the embassy “came out” and were “visibly angry, agitated, upset.”
He alleged that the Chinese officials “asked the Secret Service to remove us.” He recalled: “I saw the Secret Service go over and talk to the diplomats and the Secret Service came back to us and said: ‘The Chinese government has said this sidewalk belongs to China.’”
He pushed back, telling the agent, “That’s not true.”
“We have been here numerous times,” Mahoney told the agent.
He told CP that the American Center for Law and Justice has written letters to the Secret Service sharing with them this is not Chinese property.
"And I thought that that would resolve the issue," he stated.
After speaking with the Chinese officials, the Secret Service agent told Mahoney that “the Chinese government has said this is their property” and warned that he would be arrested if he did not leave.
Mahoney refused, telling the agent: “This is a public sidewalk. In America, every citizen has the right to peacefully air their views in the public square free from harassment, intimidation, and, of course, arrest. And so no … I cannot abandon my First Amendment rights. I will not abandon my First Amendment rights.”
Mahoney was arrested and held in a holding cell for five hours before being charged with misdemeanor “unlawful entry.” Although Mahoney had never been arrested outside the Chinese Embassy before, he has been arrested at least 112 times during his decades of advocacy.
Ryan Foley is a reporter for The Christian Post. He can be reached at: ryan.foley@christianpost.com
