The White House defended people's "basic right to protest" on Sunday but warned against "intimidation" tactics at pro-abortion rallies scheduled at Catholic churches across the country.
According to a statement released by the White House on Sunday, President Biden opposes any "attempts to intimidate" demonstrators, Fox News reported.
The President has made clear that Americans have the fundamental freedom to protest under the Constitution, regardless of their point of view. However, protests must be nonviolent and free of violence, damage, or intimidation, all of which he strongly rejects.
Jen Psaki, the White House press secretary, said Friday that Biden does not have a view on the use of protests to sway Supreme Court decisions. Psaki stated, "The President believes in peaceful protest." He said that the President considered it to be a part of our democracy and the history of the United States and this country.
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Pro-Choice Protest and Attack on Catholic Churches on Mother's Day
After a draft ruling from the Supreme Court threatened to overturn Roe v. Wade, several activist groups are preparing rallies outside Catholic churches on Mother's Day and the following Sunday to support abortion rights.
A group called "Ruth Sent Us," which has over 20,000 followers on TikTok, shared a video of a group of women dressed in costumes inspired by Margaret Atwood's "The Handmaid's Tale" marching into what looked to be the front of a Catholic Church during Mass.
One of the protesters claimed in the video that the Catholic Church has been an institution for the captivity of women for 2,000 years. Protests are planned by other activist groups such as "Rise Up 4 Abortion Rights," "Pro-Choice with Heart," and "Strike for Choice" between May 8 and 15.
A group of Spanish-speaking women's rights organizations and activists from across the country, including "Bride's March, Dominican Women's Development Center, Ni Una Menus, and Las 17," have called for these actions.
"Several cities will host protests outside of significant churches in their towns," according to the group's website. Demonstrators would look like a group of individuals carrying signs in Handmaids Tale attire, distributing fliers outside to churchgoers, or doing a die-in.
Pro-choice activists also held a "Candlelight vigil for Roe v. Wade" at the residences of Supreme Court Justices John Roberts and Brett Kavanaugh on Saturday night. On May 9, a left-wing group called "ShutDown DC" plans to organize another protest outside the home of Supreme Court Justice Samuel Alito.
Over the weekend, vandals tossed at least one Molotov cocktail into the Madison headquarters of the anti-abortion group Wisconsin Family Action.
On Friday, the activist group "Ruth Sent Us" vowed to "burn the Eucharist" to demonstrate their "disgust for the abuse Catholic Churches has tolerated for generations."
Two Republican legislators are urging the Justice Department to take threats against churches more seriously. Rep. Chip Roy, R-Texas, and Sen. Mike Lee, R-Utah, wrote to Attorney General Merrick Garland on Saturday, requesting that he mobilize resources to safeguard churches threatened by damage and disruptive protest.
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