The leader of a Kansas-based Satanic organization and three others were arrested Friday following a physical altercation inside the Kansas Statehouse.
The confrontation erupted after the group’s leader, Michael Stewart, attempted to conduct a Black Mass ceremony in the rotunda, despite a temporary ban on protests inside the building, CNN reported.
Stewart, president of the Kansas City-area Satanic Grotto, led a rally outside the Statehouse advocating for the separation of church and state. The demonstration, which drew about 30 Satanic Grotto members, was met by hundreds of Christian counterprotesters, leading to a tense standoff.
Statehouse Ban and Counterprotesters
The Satanic Grotto had planned its Black Mass to protest what members described as preferential treatment toward Christian groups allowed to conduct religious events in the Statehouse. However, Governor Laura Kelly issued a one-day ban on indoor protests, reportedly following pressure from Roman Catholic organizations that denounced the planned event as an act of “anti-Catholic bigotry.”
During the outdoor rally, Christian counterprotesters engaged in chants, hymns, and calls for Satanic Grotto members to renounce their beliefs. The groups were separated by yellow police tape, but tensions escalated when Stewart and others attempted to proceed with the indoor ceremony.
Physical Altercation and Arrests
Video footage captured by KCTV5 showed that as Stewart initiated the Black Mass inside the rotunda, a Christian counterprotester, identified as 21-year-old Marcus Schroeder, attempted to seize Stewart’s script. Stewart retaliated by punching Schroeder, prompting Kansas Highway Patrol troopers to intervene, forcibly restrain Stewart, and take him into custody. While being led away, Stewart shouted, “Hail, Satan!”
Stewart was booked on charges of disorderly conduct and unlawful assembly before being released on a $1,000 bond. His wife, Maenad Bee, defended his actions, stating, “He’s only exercising his First Amendment rights.”
In addition to Stewart, two other Satanic Grotto members—Jocelyn Frazee, 32, and Sean Anderson, 50—were arrested on charges of unlawful assembly. Schroeder was also arrested for disorderly conduct, with his bond set at $1,000.
Witness Accounts and Legal Implications
Schroeder’s friend, Jonathan Storms, claimed that Schroeder was assisting a woman, Karla Delgado, who also attempted to seize Stewart’s script. Delgado, who was at the Statehouse with her children to deliver a petition against the Black Mass, said that during the altercation, her 4-year-old daughter was knocked to the ground.
“When we saw that nobody was doing anything—it was like, ‘He’s not supposed to be allowed to do this’—so we tried to stop him,” Delgado said.
The clash has reignited legal debates surrounding religious expression, free speech, and the state’s authority to regulate demonstrations on government property.
Legal experts suggest that Stewart and his group could challenge the governor’s temporary protest ban as unconstitutional, arguing that it selectively restricted their religious practices while allowing other faith-based events in the past.
Future Legal Battles
Stewart has indicated that the Satanic Grotto may return to the Statehouse next year to hold another demonstration.
“Maybe un-baptisms, right here in the Capitol,” he said before his arrest.
The legal proceedings against Stewart, Schroeder, and the other arrested individuals are expected to unfold in the coming months, with potential implications for how religious groups—controversial or mainstream—can exercise their rights in public government spaces.
