What you need to know about Bishop Mar Mari Emmanuel who was stabbed at Good Shepherd Church in Wakeley
The preacher allegedly stabbed during a mass reading inside a western Sydney church is known as an anti-vaxxer with a huge TikTok following behind him.
Bishop Mar Mari Emmanuel was in the middle of delivering mass to the Good Shepherd Church in Wakeley on Monday night when a 16-year-old boy dressed in black approached the priest and allegedly began stabbing him in his face and body.
The sermon was being live-streamed to YouTube with a shocking video showing the moment the Assyrian preacher was allegedly attacked at about 7pm local time.
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Bishop Emmanuel rose to prominence during the COVID-19 pandemic when he criticised strict lockdown laws and labelled them as “mass slavery”.
He claimed vaccines would not work against the virus because living “normally” would boost immunity.
“Are we humans? Because we are being treated like animals,” Bishop Emmanuel said in a 2021 sermon.
“They are encouraging people to go and take the vaccine and stay at home. They have had enough.”
Bishop Emmanuel has since gained more than 38,000 followers on TikTok and 290,000 on the church’s Facebook page.
His TikTok page bio has been updated to read: “The bishop is in a bad state now. Please pray for him.”
The church offers services such as divine liturgies, baptism, matrimony and funeral services.
Its website includes a pastoral message from the bishop which shows his deep commitment to physical and spiritual wellbeing.
The Ahmadiyya Muslim Community Australia expressed profound sadness and shock after hearing about the attack on the bishop.
AMCA national president and grand imam Imam Inam-ul-Haq Kauser said in a statement: “The Ahmadiyya Muslim Community Australia unequivocally condemns tonight’s attack on Bishop Mar Mari Emmanuel in the strongest possible terms.”
“We extend our deepest sympathy to all those injured in the attack and wish them a speedy and complete recovery.”
In the aftermath, hundreds of people gathered outside the church following reports of the attack, with some chanting “Bring him out” in relation to the man who allegedly launched the attack.
Police confirmed a man was arrested at the scene and was assisting with inquiries.
Four victims, including the preacher, were treated by paramedics for non-life-threatening injuries.
Following the alleged attack, violence spilled out onto the streets, with responding officers forced to deploy capsicum spray to subdue the crowd.
