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Some of the protestors had been involved in a couple of brief skirmishes outside the jail on Saturday and were marching through city streets when they stopped outside St. Anthony of Padua RC Church that night.
“Look what they’re doing, Father,” says one protester who comes up from behind the Rev. Brian H. Laffler in a video tweeted by a journalist for FreedomNews.TV.
The priest turns. “You’re interrupting my 6:30 Mass,” he says.
“Why are you holding church right now?” a female demonstrator shouts at him. “Are there people in there?”
Instantly, several in the crowd begin taunting Laffler while others record it on their cellphones.
Laffler tells uniformed police officers who’d been monitoring the march and went to his aid that his parishioners can't get through the crowded streets.
Meanwhile, the hecklers continue their barrage.
“He's probably a rapist,” one shouts.
"Do you touch kids?" says another, prompting loud laughter from some of Laffler's tormentors.
“You’re going to hell, mother****r, you’re going to hell, mother*****r,” a female protestor shouts several times.
Someone says something inaudible, to which she responds, “Try it, bitch! I eat maggots for breakfast!”
WATCH IT HERE: https://twitter.com/ScooterCasterNY/StAnthony
“These people are disgusting,” James I. Pisano tweeted.
“Fr. Brian Laffler is a good, kind man. He cares so much for the community. Shame on these animals. No respect. They wonder why people don’t want to take them seriously.”
The bi-lingual Laffler, who began holding Spanish Mass at his church nearly 20 years ago, has been known for his good works in the community.
His church will be getting extra attention from police as long as the protests continue.
"While we respect the right to peaceful protest, the City of Hackensack will not stand for harassment of any member of our community, especially our local clergy members who deserve much more respect than Father Laffler was given on Saturday night," Mayor Labrosse said in a statement.
Labrosse asked demonstrators to “refrain from entering the grounds of the Church of St. Anthony of Padua for any reason other than to attend religious services.”
City police will handle any violators.
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ALSO SEE: A Yonkers woman who sprayed officers with MACE and then vanished into the crowd during an anti-ICE protest outside the Bergen County Jail was identified and taken into custody when she returned the next day, authorities said.
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AND: Eight of nine demonstrators who were arrested for aggravated assault on police, disorderly conduct and other offenses on Saturday "are neither residents of Bergen County nor the state of New Jersey," Bergen County Sheriff Anthony Cureton said.
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