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A man wearing a ‘Jesus Saves’ T-shirt was ordered to remove his clothes or leave the Mall of America last weekend in a video that has gone viral on social media.
A security guard at the nation’s most famous mall in Minnesota can be heard telling the man, “If you want to shop here, you need to take off that shirt.”
Another clip shows the same guard saying: ‘Jesus is associated with religion and is offending people. People have been offended.
The video has sparked outrage online with a group staging a protest at the mall where they intend to wear their own ‘Jesus Saves’ T-shirts.
A viral video shows a man wearing a “Jesus Saves” T-shirt being ordered by security guards to remove his clothes or leave at the Mall of America on January 7.
A Mall of America spokesperson told DailyMail.com that the man was allowed to remain in the mall after the interaction while still wearing his shirt.
This is despite the fact that the guards can be clearly heard threatening to throw him out.
In the original clip, the shopper is seen wearing a yellow t-shirt with the religious slogan on it.
The back of the shirt reads “Jesus is the only way”, while the popular symbol for “coexistence” that advocates that different religions live in peace is crossed out.
The videos have now been shared on TikTok and Twitter, while one went live to Facebook on January 7.
A week earlier, he had also been issued a 24 hour ticket for ‘soliciting guests’.
During the tense exchange, three security guards surround the man.
In a clip that has gone viral on social media, the man insists he was peacefully shopping in the shirt, but officers accused him of “religious solicitation.”
He can be heard saying: ‘However, I didn’t say anything. I didn’t speak. I didn’t say anything. I just went to Macy’s.
The guard responds: ‘Again, I give you a couple of options. You can take off your shirt and you can go to Macy’s and do your shopping.
‘Or you can leave the mall, okay? Those are your only options at this time.
The officer then claims that he was engaging in ‘religious solicitations’, which the Mall prohibits.
However, the man insists throughout the video that he wasn’t trying to preach, but was simply wearing the shirt while shopping.
The mall’s policies prohibit “inappropriate dress,” including clothing that “contains profanity, obscene gestures, or racial/religious/ethnic slurs that may create a disturbance.”
The Mall also prohibits ‘picketing, demonstrations, solicitations, protests or petitions’.
The man was asked to leave the mall another day because he was preaching. This time, however, he appears to have been walking through the mall.
Social media users reacted furiously to the video in which the guard is seen claiming that “Jesus is associated with religion and is offending people.”
A guard is heard saying, “Yeah, you’re walking around in that shirt in a solicitation fashion and we’ve had guests come up and say they’re offended by your shirt.”
The posts have drawn massive outrage online.
A Twitter user named John Mason captioned the video: “I automatically assumed this was abroad but it’s here in America.”
Another user, Wyatt Sullivan, responded: “If I ever go to the Mall of America again, I’ll wear the biggest Jesus t-shirt I can find.”
Meanwhile, Pastor Chase Thompson wrote: ‘I should sue them into oblivion.
The clip sparked a protest from a Facebook group who will wear ‘Jesus Saves’ t-shirts at the mall on Saturday, February 4.
The planned protest was shared on a Facebook group belonging to the Bloomington Patriots.
“This wouldn’t have happened anywhere in the US until very recently, and it certainly wouldn’t have happened if I had a pride jersey and even 50 people complained.”
A group called the Bloomington Patriots plans to hold a rally at the mall on February 4, asking attendees to wear ‘Jesus shirts.’
A mall spokesperson said: “The guest referenced in the video was approached by Mall of America security on January 7, 2023.
‘A week earlier, he was issued a 24-hour illegal entry for soliciting guests.
“After a brief interaction, the guest was not required to change his shirt and was allowed to remain in the mall.”