Religious men chant Lord’s Prayer at Newtown as backlash grows over The Project

A group of clergymen marched down a busy street while reciting the Rosary as backlash continues to grow over an offensive joke about Jesus told by a comedian appearing on The Project.

Up to 30 men sang the ‘Our Father’ and ‘Hail Mary’ as they were led by police officers along King Street in Newtown, Sydney on Friday night.

The intimidating display came as calls mount for The Project to be canceled after gay comedian Reuben Kaye made an X-rated joke about Jesus on Tuesday.

“I love any man who can get nailed for three days straight and come back for more,” Kaye said in a joke for which the hosts were later forced to apologize.

The comment sparked outrage from both the Muslim and Christian communities with the march along King Street, the latest show of anger.

One of the protesters filmed the chant showing the group huddled together with several wearing masks that concealed their faces.

Diners became visibly uncomfortable as they sat outside restaurants lining the street, their meals interrupted by chanting.

The group of men paused briefly to form a circle as they recited the ‘Our Father’.

The group then continued their march with several men wearing a rosary around their necks.

A person is seen at the front of the group holding his rosary beads above his head.

Police officers escorted the group as they proceeded down the busy street past several LGBTQI venues and the train station.

Images of the march circulated on social media, with some saying the group left them uneasy.

“It’s easy for me to sit here two suburbs away and joke about how unbelievably pathetic these guys are, but if I had been in Newtown tonight and seen this I would have felt absolutely threatened.” This is not a protest, this is intimidation,” wrote one.

Other social media users expressed their support, but took issue with the location of the march.

“These sentences should have been outside of Chanel 10 and Chanel 10 only,” wrote one.

‘There is no need to whip others. God bless them and pray for their conversion.’

A NSW Police spokeswoman said no arrests were made following the incident.

One of the protesters filmed the chant which showed the group huddled together with several wearing masks that hid their facial features.

The disturbing display came as calls mount for The Project to be canceled after gay comedian Reuben Kaye delivered an X-rated gag about Jesus on Tuesday.

“Police spoke to a group of around 30 people who marched along the pavement of King Street, Newtown, before dispersing just before 9pm,” he said.

“While we will not comment on specific individuals or groups, the community can be assured that we will continue to monitor activities and take action where appropriate.”

The NSW Police spokeswoman said there were reports of a suspected assault at one location, but they were investigating whether it was related to anyone involved in the march.

“Officers attached to Police Inland West Area Command were told that two men were involved in an altercation where a man was assaulted,” he said.

‘He did not require medical treatment. The investigations continue.

The Australian Communications and Media Authority (ACMA) has revealed it received hundreds of complaints from the public after The Project’s lewd ‘Jesus joke’ caused widespread outrage.

In a statement to Daily Mail Australia on Friday, the media watchdog confirmed: “The ACMA has received 203 inquiries about an episode of The Project broadcast on Tuesday 28 February 2023 featuring comedian Reuben Kaye.

‘Under the broadcast co-regulation system, complaints are directed to the broadcaster in the first instance.

“If a complainant does not receive a response from the broadcaster within 60 days, or is not satisfied with the response they receive, they may refer their complaint to the ACMA for consideration.”