The Reverend Patrick Mahoney, who leads the Christian Defense Coalition, has by his video-supported account been arrested by United States Secret Service “for peacefully praying on a public sidewalk in front of the Chinese Embassy…. It is tragic that I am being treated like a Chinese citizen. This is a sad day in America when an American citizen, a clergyman who’s praying on a public sidewalk in America, is arrested for celebrating the First Amendment” (The Christian Post, October 10, 2026).
Mahoney’s protest followed Xi’s visit to the U.S. last month.
“We were deeply troubled that our government, that President Trump rolled out the red carpet and had a state dinner for an oppressive dictator who crushes human rights, free speech, political dissent … has overseen genocide, bulldozed churches, imprisoned academics and others,” Mahoney said….
During the protest, Mahoney laid out his own “red fabric,” which he described as “carpet-like,” on the sidewalk. It featured the names of people and groups persecuted by the Chinese government, including imprisoned media mogul Jimmy Lai, Hong Kong residents, Falun Gong practitioners and Uyghurs.
“We said, ‘These are the people we need to be honoring and remembering. We don’t need to be honoring someone who is an oppressor and brutalizing his people,’” Mahoney said.
“In all of our years going there, we have never seen a reaction like this from the Chinese diplomats inside,” he added. “They came out, they were visibly angry, agitated, upset.”
Mahoney alleged that Chinese officials asked the Secret Service “to remove us.”
I doubt that the pastor will end up being treated quite like Chinese citizens who are arrested for protesting. But he is right to lament the similarity.
Mahoney reported the incident on his Facebook page on September 28, and as of October 14 the charges do not seem to have been dropped.
In May 2024, a federal court ruled “in Favor of Rev. Mahoney’s Right to Pray on US Capitol Steps.” According to the Liberty Center, the court’s ruling means that “Mahoney is now free to pray and peacefully demonstrate in this area that the Capitol Police once arbitrarily deemed off limits to Rev. Mahoney.”
