SEATTLE — There were no major issues as hundreds flocked to Seattle’s Gas Works Park Saturday, as a faith-based concert drew a large group of protestors.
The event was largely peaceful on all sides — unlike a similar faith-based rally in May, which led to violent clashes.
The event was hosted by the conservative Christian activist group, Let Us Worship, as part of its Revive in 2025 tour.
“We will head into America’s darkest, most broken cities; cities where people have been ignored by their leaders and where homelessness, crime, drug addiction, and poverty are strangling the population,” reads an excerpt from the event’s website.
Let Us Worship founder and preacher Sean Feucht has been a strong supporter of President Donald Trump and has a history of posting anti-LGBTQ+ rhetoric online.
Several Canadian cities revoked permits for the group earlier this summer, citing safety concerns and code of conduct violations, according to The Guardian.
Large demonstrations against the event were held simultaneously, as protestors used airhorns and kazoos to show Feucht he was not welcome.
“This is making a mockery of what Jesus actually stood for,” said one protestor.
KIRO 7 asked Feucht about the criticism his events are held to incite an opposing response.
“We’ve gone to 400-something cities across America,” he said. “We’ve gone to Seattle several times. I always tell people, if they think it’s hateful, come and see.”
The event, originally planned at Cal Anderson Park, was moved to Gas Works Park earlier this month.
The city said the move came after conversations with organizers, who acknowledged Cal Anderson Park’s cultural importance to Seattle’s LGBTQ+ community.
“Everyone has a First Amendment right to make their voices heard, regardless of content or belief,” Harrell said in a joint statement with Seattle Councilmember Joy Hollingsworth. “We are focused on facilitating that right of expression for everyone in our city, while also prioritizing safety.”
A similar faith-based rally in May, held at Cal Anderson Park, ended in violent clashes between attendees and counter-protesters. The Seattle Police Department (SPD) reported 23 arrests that day, and at least 30 people were detained.
According to SPD, protesters threw items at officers and knocked down fencing. One officer was hospitalized.
Seattle Police maintained a large presence at Gas Works Park Saturday, out of an “abundance of caution.” One person was arrested for malicious mischief after throwing water at an independent journalist and damaging their camera gear.
Supporters of Saturday’s event, including Teila Anderson and Kozi Colbert, said they came out to show their love of Jesus Christ.
“We’re just here to spread the word,” Anderson said. “It would be awesome too even if the people who are on the outside of the fences, if they want to join us. I mean, that would be great.”
Opponents of the event said it’s not that simple.
“They may be preaching love right there, but then when you show up to their other events, when you go to their actual church, that’s when the bigotry and the hatred is really starting to set in,” said Marcus D, a protester at the event.
Both sides expressed a similar message: they’re not going anywhere.
“In America, you can worship as you want,” Feucht said.
“They can be in the park and espouse that message, but we want to be here,” said counterprotestor Doreen McGrath, “We’re not going back into any closets. We’re not going back.”
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