Worship leader Sean Feucht hosted a peaceful revival event in Seattle, Washington, over the weekend.
"Under the First Amendment, the City cannot decline a permit based on the anticipated message of the event or views of the organizers," Seattle Mayor Bruce Harrell said in a statement, according to Fox News.
Feucht, known for being an outspoken supporter of Donald Trump and vocal critic of abortion, transgender ideology, and homosexuality, made a stop Saturday at Seattle's Gas Works Park as part of his "Revive in '25" tour.
Harrell expressed support for the LGBTQ+ community in his statement, and noted that Feucht's group agreed to move their event from Cal Anderson Park and Capitol Hill to a different location for public safety reasons.
Feucht's event drew protest from groups such as the nonprofit Lavender Rights Project, which held its own counter-event earlier that day, according to the local NBC affiliate KING 5 News.
During the event on Saturday, Russell Johnson, lead pastor at Pursuit NW, read a statement from Mayor Harrell that reaffirmed his commitment to free speech and expressed appreciation for the organizers.
The statement emphasized that Seattle "is and always will be a place where all voices can be heard" and that "prayer and peaceful protest are both protected speech, and where all human beings should be safe regardless of personal or political beliefs."
Support for Feucht from prominent religious leaders came from evangelist and Samaritan's Purse CEO Franklin Graham, who thanked the mayor for standing up for freedom of speech.
"Another woke, blue city trying to shut down a Christian event," Graham stated on Saturday, noting that Feucht "has faced harsh pushback from LGBTQ activists who tried to get the permit revoked for the event he was holding today in Seattle."
Graham praised Mayor Harrell's stance, saying, "I'm thankful that Seattle's mayor stood by the law and said that canceling the rally would violate Sean’s First Amendment rights. The police department was preparing for protests."
He also called for prayer for Feucht and the other events on his revival tour. "Thank you for always having my back," Feucht replied to Graham on X.
Feucht expressed optimism about the event's success, saying, "I think it's amazing how five years in a row we've come and worshiped here and this time we have the mayor inviting us and police protecting us." He added, "Maybe Seattle is turning a corner."
In recent weeks, eight Canadian cities canceled stops along Feucht’s revival tour in the country. Montreal authorities also fined a church $2,500 for hosting him without a permit in July.
