ACLJ Defends American Pastor Arrested for Protesting China’s Human Rights Abuses on American Sidewalk

We’ve defended Americans speaking their conscience on American sidewalks for years, typically from pro-abortion harassment, angry atheists, and confused or power-hungry bureaucrats in municipal governments. Now we’re defending an American pastor arrested on an American sidewalk – at the demand of the Chinese government.

We’ve told you before about our client, American Pastor Rev. Pat Mahoney, facing legal trouble for his peaceful First Amendment-protected protests – ironically, right here in the United States. We’ve also told you how we’ve been able to help, reminding the Biden Secret Service that the American Constitution governs the American sidewalk. Now the Chinese embassy here in Washington, D.C., is at it again.

Rev. Mahoney was doing something he’s done more times than he can count: protesting Chinese human rights abuses from the public sidewalk outside the Chinese embassy, which is an American sidewalk. 

As they’ve done before, officials from the Chinese embassy literally ran outside the embassy and told U.S. Secret Service officers that the sidewalk belongs to the embassy and that Rev. Mahoney does not have permission to be on it. We’ve successfully pushed back in the past, and our client has been able to freely protest at that exact location now for several years.

But sadly, this time the Chinese delegation was able to persuade the Secret Service to do its bidding and arrest this American pastor right here on American soil. The criminal charge: unlawful entry, as if he were breaking and entering. It’s ridiculous.

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 had the U.S. Secret Service haul him off to jail.

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. Rev. Mahoney retained the American Center for Law and Justice, and we are fighting this criminal charge in court. The first hearing is on October 21, and we’ll keep you posted on how this case, and our efforts, progress.

Stand with Rev. Mahoney. Sign our petition: Defeat the Left’s War Against Pastors.