Man Yelling Bible Verses at Pride Event Arrested
Damon Atkins was reading a verse from 1 Corinthians 14:33 – during a Pride event in Reading, Pennsylvania but was arrested before he could finish the verse.
pic.twitter.com/Pu7kwLe1k7The officer, as seen in the clip, briefly moved to stand between Atkins and the crowd at the event, but turned back as he resumed reading the verse and arrested him."That's it.
You're done," the officer said.Atkins claimed that he was within his rights during the altercation, as the event was taking place on public property.
As can be seen in the video, he carried a sign that read, "God said go and sin no more" and was wearing a shirt reading, "You must be born again."Newsweek reached out to the Reading Police Department via email for comment.The incident in Reading comes in the midst of a renewed right-wing backlash against the visibility of LGBTQ+ individuals and communities in public life, spurred on by a relatively small number of far-right online activists.
