Man arrested in US for quoting Bible at gay pride parade
In the U.S. state of Pennsylvania, police arrested a man who quoted the Bible in protest against an LGBT parade.
On June 6, 2023, police arrested 41-year-old Damon Atkins for quoting the Bible at a gay parade in the city of Reading, Pennsylvania, reports Fox News citing the press service of the Berks County District Attorney's Office.
According to media reports, the man attended the gay parade with a sign that reads, "Jesus said: go and sin no more," and quoted verses from the Bible. After that, police officers approached the LGBT opponent and told him that he should "respect the march participants" and "allow them to live".
The police arrested the man near the participants of the gay parade, handcuffed him, and pressed him against a wall. In the published footage, the applause of LGBT march participants can be heard accompanying the man's arrest.
"I can't believe this is happening in Reading," a man standing nearby said.
It is known that after the arrest, the man was charged with "disorderly conduct and participating in a fight".
Reading Police Chief Richard Tornielli said that Atkins was only arrested because he was being 'disorderly' and had nothing to do with the content of his speech. 'Our officers gave him warnings to cease that behaviour as it was disrupting the event that was taking place,' he said.
However, Atkins had the charges against him dropped on Wednesday after the District Attorney's Office reviewed video footage from the rally in support of the LGBT community.
They further noted that the man was released in accordance with the First Amendment to the U.S. Constitution, which "does not allow for the restriction of citizens' right to freedom of religion".
As reported, the study of the Bible has been banned in schools in the state of Utah due to "vulgarity and violence".
