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

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

Up to 30 men chanted the ‘Lord’s Prayer’ and ‘Hail Mary’ as they were guided by police officers along King Street in Newtown, Sydney, on Friday night.

The intimidating display came as calls grow for The Project to be cancelled after gay comedian Reuben Kaye made an X-rated gag 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 gag the hosts were later forced to apologise for. 

The joke led to media watchdog the Australian Broadcasting Authority Australian Communications Authority receiving 203 complaints.

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

One of the marchers filmed the chant showing the group huddled close together with several wearing masks hiding their faces.

Diners were left visibly uncomfortable as they sat outside of the restaurants lining the street with their meals interrupted by the chanting. 

The group of men stopped briefly to form a circle while they recited the ‘Lord’s Prayer’.

The group then continued on their march with several men seen wearing rosary beads around their necks. 

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

Police officers escorted the group as they made their way along the busy street passing multiple LGBTQI venues and the train station.

Footage of the march was circulated on social media with some saying they were left unsettled by the group.

‘It’s easy for me to sit here two suburbs over and joke about how incredibly f***ing lame these guys are, but if I was out in Newtown tonight and saw this I would absolutely have felt threatened. This isn’t a protest, it’s intimidation,’ one wrote.

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

‘These prayers should have been outside Chanel 10 and Chanel 10 only,’ one wrote.

‘No need to lash at others. God bless and pray for their conversion.’

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

One of the marchers filmed the chant showing the group huddled close together with several wearing masks hiding their facial features

The unsettling display came as calls grow for The Project to be cancelled after gay comedian Reuben Kaye made an X-rated gag about Jesus on Tuesday

‘Police spoke with a group of about 30 people who marched along the footpath on King Street, Newtown, before dispersing just before 9pm,’ she said.

‘While we won’t comment on specific individuals or groups, the community can be assured we continue to monitor activities and will take action where appropriate.’ 

The NSW Police spokeswoman said there were reports of an alleged assault at a venue but were investigating whether it was linked to anyone involved in the march.

‘Officers attached to Inner West Police Area Command were told two men were involved in an altercation where one man was assaulted,’ she said.

‘He did not require medical treatment. Inquiries are continuing.’

The Australian Communications and Media Authority (ACMA) has revealed that 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 the comedian Reuben Kaye.

‘Under the broadcasting co-regulatory system, complainants 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 do receive, they may refer their complaint to the ACMA for consideration.’