An angry crowd of pro ‘gay marriage’ protesters surrounded and frightened an elderly Christian woman in Palm Springs, California – live on TV.
The group was protesting against the democratic result of a state-wide vote which defended the definition of marriage as between one man and one woman.
The incident, which occurred earlier this month, was sparked when a pro ‘gay marriage’ protester attacked a styrofoam cross being carried by 69-year-old Phyllis Burgess.
The cross was yanked from her hands and stamped on, leaving it in tatters on the floor. Angry protesters surrounded the elderly lady, shouting abuse within inches of her face.
Palm Springs Police Department spokesman, Sergeant Mitch Spike, told American news network, FOX News, that no arrests had yet been made.
“The investigation is proceeding as it should,” Sgt. Spike said. Asked if the charges could be elevated to include hate crime penalties, he told FOX News: “That’s a possibility. That’s one of the things we’re looking at.”
The incident is the latest in a spate of disorderly protests by supporters of ‘gay marriage’. The protesters are angered at losing a vote on the definition of marriage, known as ‘proposition 8’.
American religious liberty legal group, the Alliance Defense Fund, has released a YouTube video giving a flavour of the protesters’ behaviour during the past month.
Earlier this month seven people were arrested in Los Angeles as police intervened to control a large crowd. About one thousand protesters had gathered outside a Mormon temple in the city in what was a second day of fierce protests in California.
Four protesters were taken into custody at the intersection of Hollywood and Highland when they tried to cross a line of officers. Two more protesters were arrested in West Hollywood for disturbing the peace.
Television cameras showed one protester jumping on top of a police car at the intersection of Hollywood and Highland. He was quickly wrestled to the ground by police and handcuffed.