Black Mass at Kansas Capitol Ends in Punches and Arrests

A violent Satanist was arrested inside the Kansas State Capitol Friday after punching a young man who disrupted his illegal “black mass.”

The arrest of Satanic Grotto leader Michael Stewart, 42, put an abrupt end to the ritual, which had begun in front of the east steps of the Capitol about an hour earlier, the Kansas City Star reported.

Kansas Gov. Laura Kelly (D) had banned the group from holding their “black mass” inside the Capitol building, but allowed it to take place outside.  Earlier this month, the Kansas House passed a bipartisan resolution denouncing the ritual as “an explicit act of anti-Catholic bigotry and an affront to all Christians.” Stewart allegedly retaliated by threatening a lawmaker.

His group,  Satanic Grotto, meanwhile made it clear that they intended to defy the governor’s order.

A group of legislative leaders called on Kelly to ban the event, tightened assembly restrictions inside and outside the Capitol, and asked the Kansas Bureau of Investigation to look into whether Stewart had threatened an unnamed lawmaker. William Hendrix, a spokesperson for Attorney General Kris Kobach, who showed up Friday to take in the spectacle, said that investigation is ongoing.

A Democrat state representative who voted against the resolution condemning the Black Mass also attended the event at the Capitol, Friday morning to show his support.

Rep. Silas Miller of Wichita argued that it’s hypocritical to deny Satanists access to the Capitol when religious groups are allowed in, including a Christian minister who leads lawmakers in prayer every morning. “It’s not a religious freedom issue. It’s a Christian preference issue,” Miller told the Star.

A counter demonstration, organized by the American Society for the Defense of Tradition, Family, and Property drew hundreds of Catholics the Kansas State Capitol Friday morning, where they prayed the Rosary.  Assumption Church, directly across the street from the Kansas state Capitol, held a packed Mass as the Knights of Columbus and county sheriff deputies stood guard outside the church, according to Catholic Vote.

“It’s a joy to see this church so full today,” said Archbishop of Kansas City, Kansas Joseph Naumann.

The Archbishop had reportedly attempted to stop the sacrilegious event from taking place and demanded the immediate return of all holy objects, but a Leavenworth District Court judge dismissed a lawsuit, as Stewart was able to prove he purchased the items online.

In a letter to the faithful, Naumann stated that “the devil has no power over us.”

About 30 members of the the Satanic Grotto and their supporters gathered outside the Capitol, where they chanted “hail Satan.” One of the Satanists held a sign that said “F-ck Christian Fascists.”

They watched approvingly as Stewart recited the profoundly foul words of the black mass and held an allegedly consecrated host in the air. When he threw the host on the ground and proceeded to stomp on it,  a Catholic man from the crowd leapt forward to retrieve it. According to the Catholic Moment, the man then “immediately consumed” the Eucharist.

“Assault!” Stewart cried, before repeatedly hitting the man, who was curled up in a fetal position on the ground, shielding his head from the blows.

“Help! Security!” one of the Satanists bellowed.

“F-ck you!” another one howled as the police ushered the man away.

Stewart later told reporters that the man had “tackled” him.  The Kansas City Star repeated the lie, despite video evidence showing he was never tackled.

At around 11:30 a.m., the Satanic Grotto members made their way into the building, where Stewart was immediately warned by law enforcement he would be arrested if he “performed any type of event or disruption,” according to the Star.

Stewart reportedly agreed, but soon after “held his arms skyward and made a dedication” to the devil.

As he continued to recite from his black mass booklet in the Capitol’s first-floor rotunda, a woman approached him and said he wasn’t supposed to be doing that. Frustrated that law enforcement wasn’t doing anything about it, she tried to snatch Stewart’s script from his hands, the Associated Press reported.

The woman, Karla Delgado, said she came to the Statehouse with her three youngest children to deliver a petition protesting the Black Mass to Kelly’s office. Delgado said she approached Stewart because he was violating the governor’s order and Highway Patrol troopers weren’t immediately arresting him. She said in the ensuing confusion, her 4-year-old daughter was knocked to the ground.

A young man, identified as Marcus Schroeder, 21, tried to assist Delgado by ripping the booklet out of his hands.

Stewart, who had previously claimed to be “non-violent,” then punched Schroeder in the face, prompting several Kansas Highway Patrol troopers to wrestle him to the ground and handcuff him.  As the troopers cuffed Stewart, the Satanist repeatedly bellowed, “I am not resisting.”

“When we saw that nobody was doing anything—I guess just in the moment of it—it was like, ‘He’s not supposed to be allowed to do this,’ so we tried to stop him,” Delgado told the AP.

Stewart was reportedly “jailed briefly Friday afternoon on suspicion of disorderly conduct and having an unlawful assembly, then released on $1,000 bond.”

Schroeder was also arrested on suspicion of disorderly conduct, with his bond set at $1,000.