A viral video from the Mall of America in Minnesota shows a security guard ordering a man to remove his “Jesus Saves” t-shirt or leave the mall.
Mall of America had issued the man, whose identity has not yet been revealed, with a 24-hour trespass for “soliciting guests” with his gospel preaching a week prior to the incident, according to The Daily Mail.
The guard can be heard saying, “If you want to shop here you need to take off that shirt” and “Jesus is associated with religion and it is offending people. People have been offended.”
A spokesman for the mall stated that the man was ultimately allowed to remain in the mall while still wearing his shirt, despite the guard’s initial threat to kick him out.
According to the mall’s policy, “inappropriate attire,” including “apparel that has obscene language, obscene gestures or racial/religious/ethnic slurs that are likely to create a disturbance” is prohibited.
The mall also forbids “picketing, demonstrating, soliciting, protesting, or petitioning.”
The man in the video claims he was not preaching and was simply wearing the shirt while shopping.
Foreign policy analyst Nile Gardiner called the ordeal an “outrageous attack on Christianity and religious freedom in America” in a Twitter post.
