Activist pastor who has criticized Trump arrested while praying inside Capitol

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Source: The Independent

Monday 28 April 2025 22:59 EDT


North Carolina pastor famous for decades of activism for progressive causes was arrested in the Capitol rotunda on Monday, less than a week after the formation of the Trump administration’s task force on anti-Christian bias at the Justice Department.

The arrest occurred Monday afternoon as Reverend William Barber and others were praying at the Capitol; earlier in the day, the reverend delivered a sermon on the Capitol steps and also delivered a Moral Monday address at the Supreme Court. First reported by Jack Jenkins of Religion News Service (RNS), photos showed Barber and others surrounded by US Capitol Police officers, including one wearing a “crime scene” vest.

Jenkins reported in a follow up tweet that Barber and two others were arrested at the scene. Others were cleared from the vicinity of the Rotunda, which is often open to tours and members of the public. “Bishop Rev. Dr. William Barber II and Rev. Jonathan Wilson-Hartgrove were among those arrested this afternoon while praying in front of a statue that honors suffragettes in the U.S. Capitol Rotunda,” Barber’s group, Repairers of the Breach, said in a statement Monday afternoon.

“The arrests occurred after an interfaith gathering of leaders from across the nation delivered a moral message to the nation this morning at the U.S. Supreme Court seeking to sound the alarm on the immoral budget cuts and proposed budget cuts being pursued in Washington D.C. at the expense of the poor, working people, children, women, and families,” the statement continued.

Read more: https://www.the-independent.com/news/world/americas/us-politics/william-barber-trump-christian-task-force-b2741146.html