A group of Native Americans, beating drums and chanting, attempted to enter the Basilica of the National Shrine of the Immaculate Conception during Mass Saturday evening, according to a report.
Nathan Phillips does not appear in the video, but the individuals in the video said they were waiting on him to show up and share his experience.
A security guard speaking anonymously to the Catholic News Agency said that a group of about 20 people tried to get
into the shrine during Mass and that guards were forced to lock the doors with the congregation still inside to prevent disruption.
“We had hundreds and hundreds of people from all over the country come here to celebrate life, to celebrate each other together,” the guard told CNA. “That a protest tried to come inside during Mass was really the worst. I’m just really grateful that nothing too bad happened, they were really angry.”
A video, from Saturday night, shows a group outside the shrine. A member said in the video they were outside the Catholic building to demand accountability for the Covington Catholic High School students who had been part of a viral interaction with veteran and elder Nathan Phillips at the Lincoln Memorial prior.
“The action that happened at the church was peaceful, the songs that were sung were prayer songs, they’re songs that convey a fierce love and determination for our people — and all people,” Michelle Brass, a woman from Saskatchewan, Canada, told the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation.
Phillips and the students were involved in a heavily reported incident at the Lincoln Memorial Friday evening where a large group of students could be seen around Phillips and his small group of Native American protesters. One student in particular, Nick Sandmann, was highlighted and criticized for standing mere inches away from Phillips while smiling. Sandmann said in an interview he wants to meet Phillips and, in hindsight, wishes that the event had been avoided entirely.
[Read more: Rush to judgment? New details emerge on Native American elder’s standoff with MAGA-hat-wearing teens]
Some of the Kentucky-based students were wearing President Trump’s signature “Make America Great Again” hats from his 2016 presidential campaign. The students were in the capital for the annual March for Life, an anti-abortion march which stands as a counter to some of the values of the annual Women’s March. The private all-boys Catholic school was closed on Tuesday due to safety concerns and will remain closed until an investigation has concluded.
A representative for the Basilica of the National Shrine of the Immaculate Conception did not immediately respond to requests for comment.
