Thread by @JewhadiTM

Nathan Phillips And Other Protesters Storm Steps Of DC Basilica, Demand Punishment For Covington Boys dailycaller.com/2019/01/23/nat… via @dailycaller

The Native American activist who faced off Friday with a group of Catholic high schoolers at the Washington, D.C., March for Life demanded from the steps of the nation’s largest Catholic church that the boys be “reprimanded” both now and in the future.

The activist, Nathan Phillips, also called on the Catholic Church to offer reparations to indigenous people.

Phillips, along with a group of other chanting protesters, seemingly endeavored to enter the Basilica of the National Shrine of the Immaculate Conception in D.C. during a Vigil Mass on Saturday, as first reported by the Catholic News Agency (CNA).

In video footage taken on-scene, a person can be heard saying, “This is a non-violent peaceful action here. Some of us are going to go to the front of the Shrine so we’d like to … deliver our message there to the front of the Shrine.”

“If anyone wants to go inside and pray, you can go in small groups,” another demonstrator says. “No reason why they can stop you from going to pray.”

“Just say you’re going to Mass,” another person advises, while someone else says, “I’ll watch the cops.”

When they reach the church, several protesters attempt to enter the building before security personnel shuts the doors.

Phillips goes on to read prepared remarks:

“We demand that the students of Covington Catholic High School be reprimanded — not just by the school officials as seniors, but by their upcoming universities.”

“We demand the Catholic Church hold themselves responsible for the hundred-plus years of genocide that our indigenous people have endured — and still persist through —

by [implementing] the following: with reparations of land and restorations to the indigenous peoples in the U.S. and across the world.”

“We demand that the Catholic Church revoke the papal bulls related to the doctrine of discovery, which laid the foundation for religious prejudice and the dehumanization of indigenous peoples.”

A security guard on the scene reportedly characterized the incident to CNS as “really upsetting,” especially given that the church was packed with Christians who had attended the annual March for Life in the nation’s capital.

“We had hundreds and hundreds of people from all over the country come here to celebrate life — to celebrate each other together,” the guard was quoted as saying. “That a protest tried to come inside during Mass was really the worst.”

About 60 protesters had gathered outside the church to protest the Covington Catholic boys’ alleged taunting of Phillips, as well as the supposed “colonial violence that the Catholic Church reproduces every day.”

Protesters banged on the church doors, the seminarian recounted, and the parishioners were not allowed to leave the building until the protest dispersed.

“We have been informed by police that we need to get off our occupied indigenous territory,” a demonstrator says in the video