Should Disrupting Church Services be a Felony?

Following a controversial disruption at a Minnesota church service by anti-ICE protesters last month, Alabama politicians are considering a bill which would make interrupting church service a felony punishable by up to 10 years in prison.

Should disrupting church service be illegal? And should it carry such a heavy penalty?

From Minnesota to Alabama

Amidst ongoing unrest in Minneapolis after the killings of Renee Good and Alex Pretti by ICE agents, a group of activists stormed Cities Church in St. Paul, Minnesota, thrusting a congregation into the center of a national immigration firestorm.

Protesters were there because the church’s head pastor is also in charge of a local ICE field office. And with journalist Don Lemon joining them to document the protest, the group burst into the church and chanted  “ICE Out” and “Justice for Renee Good,” before ultimately being escorted from the premises. 

The incident made national headlines and sparked outrage across the country – fueling a broader debate about where protest ends and protected worship begins. Now, Alabama politicians want to ensure that any potential protesters in their church pews face punishment.

Going to Prison for Protest?

“If an individual enters upon the premises of a church building to intentionally disrupt a worship service by engaging in a riot, unlawful protest, or disorderly conduct, or otherwise engages in the harassment of any other individual in the worship service, the individual would be guilty of the offense of disruption of a worship service,” reads Alabama House Bill 363, which was introduced last month and sponsored by State Rep. Greg Barnes.

Should the perpetrator commit “a second or subsequent violation, the individual shall be guilty of a Class C felony and shall serve a mandatory minimum of five years imprisonment.”

Under the proposed legislation, what might otherwise be charged as trespass or disorderly conduct could escalate into a serious felony – with prison time measured not in months, but in years.

What the Bill’s Author Says

“What we saw in Minnesota was unacceptable and disgusting behavior, and we are not going to tolerate it in Alabama,” stated Rep. Barnes. “If passed, HB363 will send a crystal-clear message that our churches are off limits to radical activists who have no respect for others’ right to worship.”

“No one has the right to disrupt a church service and infringe on their fellow citizens’ right to worship freely,” Barnes said. “In Alabama, we are not going to sit by and allow crazy people to intimidate our women and children in our churches. We simply will not tolerate it.”

A Vote on the Horizon?

The bill has more than 50 cosponsors and it is expected that the Alabama House could take up the vote soon. And according to local news outlets in Ohio, lawmakers there are considering a similar measure:

As lawmakers weigh the proposed legislation, a broader question lingers: when protest enters a house of worship, does it become criminal trespass – or is it still protected expression?

The First Amendment safeguards both free speech and free exercise of religion. When those rights collide inside a religious sanctuary, which one prevails? And is disrupting a church service a serious enough crime to warrant years behind bars?