Hackensack mayor condemns harassment of priest by ICE protesters outside Bergen jail

HACKENSACK — As ICE protests raged outside the Bergen County Jail on Saturday, a handful of protesters harassed a priest they happened upon outside a nearby church. 

The. Rev. Brian Laffler of the Church of St. Anthony was walking to his 6:30 p.m. Spanish service when protesters spewed malicious comments at him, saying he was "going to hell" and was "probably a rapist."

Laffler was escorted away by city police who were already on the scene monitoring the protest, which was happening a few blocks away. The incident was captured on a video shared on social media. 

Hackensack Mayor John Labrosse said the way Laffler was treated was unacceptable and that the city would deploy additional police to protect the church. 

"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," Labrosse said in an emailed statement on Tuesday.

Laffler, who could not be reached for comment, was jeered by protesters after he told the crowd they were interrupting his 6:30 Mass and that his congregation "couldn't get through because the streets were crowded." Protesters mocked him and yelled insults 

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A city spokesperson said he believed Laffler wasn't specifically targeted, but was unfortunately in the path of unruly protesters. 

Protests have been held daily since late November and are a show of support for U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement detainees on a hunger strike inside the jail. Demonstrations got violent on Saturday when police and protesters clashed, with nine people arrested. 

"We ask protesters to refrain from entering the grounds of the Church of St. Anthony of Padua for any reason other than to attend religious services and we stand with Father Laffler and the entire parish community," Labrosse said Tuesday. 

Laffler founded several community-based programs, including a summer soccer clinic in collaboration with the city Recreation Department, according to the Hackensack Chamber of Commerce, which honored him last year. 

He speaks fluent Spanish and first initiated Spanish Mass for the Church of St. Anthony in 1991. Today the church's Hispanic population has grown to include 150 families.

Isaiah McCall is a local reporter for NorthJersey.com. For unlimited access to the most important news from your local community, please subscribe or activate your digital account today.

Email: mccallI@northjersey.com

Twitter: @AfroReporter