Protesters screaming 'Free Palestine' ambush Easter Vigil at St Patrick's Cathedral as horrified worshippers watch flag-holding demonstrators get tackled out of NYC's iconic church

Protesters calling for a ceasefire in Gaza flooded into New York City's most iconic cathedral, breaking up a Saturday-night Easter Mass and throwing the tranquil scene into disarray.

On the evening of March 30, candles illuminated the walls of St. Patrick's Cathedral as observers gathered for the customary Easter Vigil Mass led by Cardinal Timothy Dolan, archbishop of New York.

But the peace quickly devolved into chaos as demonstrators with Extinction Rebellion NYC's Palestinian Solidarity group swarmed into the church.

At the front of the worshippers, the brazen activists unfurled a flag emblazoned with an olive tree and the words 'SILENCE = DEATH.'

The display only lasted a few seconds, as members of security wrestled it from their hands and began shoving them towards the aisle.

Protesters calling for a ceasefire in Gaza flocked into St. Patrick's Cathedral in New York City, disrupting a Saturday-night Mass

During the traditional Easter Vigil Mass, demonstrators unfurled a flag reading 'SILENCE = DEATH' at the front of the crowd. They were quickly confronted by security guards

Security began shoving the protestors as onlookers rose from the pews, some filming on their cellphones

Horrified onlookers remained in their pews as the group was led outside. Some rose to their feet, while others pointed cellphones at the ruckus, cameras rolling. 

As they were ushered away, heads began to turn as a chant rang out: 'Free, free Palestine!'

One protestor, identified only as Matthew M., said he believed churches calling for an end to the conflict in Gaza could 'make a difference.' 

'The United Nations Security Council calling for a ceasefire is a good start, but churches making ceasefire statements is also a part of the solution,' he said.

Since the start of the war in the Middle East, the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops has called for peace and decried the mass casualty of civilians.

Before the commencement of Holy Week, the group issued a call for prayer in the Middle East and an end to the Israel-Hamas conflict.

Extinction Rebellion is a UK-founded climate justice movement that commits itself to 'nonviolent direct action.'

The Palestine Solidarity chapter is an affinity group of the Extinction Rebellion New York City group.

The protestors, affiliates of Extinction Rebellion NYC's Palestinian Solidarity chapter, claimed the war in Gaza was not only leading to mass deaths of civilians, but was harming the environment as well

As the demonstrators were ushered out of the space, a chant began: 'Free, free Palestine!'

'War, occupation, and industrial pollution are poisoning the soil, air, and water in Gaza and all over the planet, destroying the earth’s capacity to sustain life,' activist Gregory Schwedock said. 

The scene inside the cathedral followed earlier protests in Times Square in honor of Land Day, a day of commemoration for Palestinians that remembers the Israel-ordered confiscation of land in 1976.

The Easter Mass upset drew impassioned reactions from people on social media.

'They couldn't keep it on the street in front of the church. No. They had to interfere with the rights of others on a holy day and create a disturbance,' wrote one user on X, formerly Twitter.

'When they do something like this, do they honestly think that others will rush to their cause?'

'How to lose sympathy immediately: don't respect others and expect them to tolerate you,' another netizen remarked. 

Yet another deemed the display 'inappropriate.'

'They shouldn't be interrupting church or any religious ceremony,' the user wrote. 'Let the Catholics do their service in peace.'

Archbishop of New York Timothy Dolan was leading the traditional Easter Vigil Mass on Saturday night

Users on social media slammed the display as 'inappropriate' and disrespectful

Saturday night was not the first time the protest group has interrupted a religious service.

In December 2023, Extinction Rebellion disrupted a Mass in Turin, Italy, as protestors quoted Pope Francis' writings about the environment.

Archbishop Roberto Repole issued a statement after the incident, saying he had 'great esteem for those who mobilize for the defense of creation and accept the appeals of Pope Francis.' 

Nevertheless, Repole said he was 'sorry that they decided to take the floor in the Duomo without first wanting to talk to me and ask if they could intervene.

'I would have replied that at Mass we often pray for peace and for the preservation of creation, but the Eucharistic celebration is not a suitable time to host public interventions.'

Dolan has yet to issue a statement regarding the Easter Mass protests.