Extinction Rebellion protesters disrupt Easter vigil in NYC

March 31 (UPI) -- Extinction Rebellion protesters disrupted a vigil celebrating Easter at St. Patrick's Cathedral in New York City, the group said on social media.

Activists rose to sing "Dona Nobis Pacem," which translates to "grant us peace" from Latin, but were allegedly "slammed" to the ground by cathedral security, Extinction Rebellion said in a statement.

Extinction Rebellion, best known for protesting at cultural institutions to call for climate change measures, said that church leaders did not pause the service and are "continuing to stay silent on the humanitarian crisis."

"We are here to tell the truth about ecocide and genocide as loudly as this moment warrants," said John Mark Rozendaal, an Extinction Rebellion activist at the church, in a statement.

The protest group has provided footage showing the activists being escorted from in front of the pews, where they had unfurled a banner that read: "silence = death."

"The United Nations Security Council calling for a ceasefire is a good start, but churches making ceasefire statements is also a part of the solution," said activist Matthew M. "It will make a difference."

Three protesters were arrested, NYPD officials told the New York Daily News on Sunday. One of the activists arrested was identified by the Daily News as Gregory Schwedock, who was charged with two other men with the misdemeanor crime of disrupting a religious service.

"War, occupation, and industrial pollution are poisoning the soil, air, and water in Gaza and all over the planet, destroying the earth's capacity to sustain life," Schwedock said in a statement.

Meanwhile, Catholic leaders in East Jerusalem in the occupied West Bank compared Gaza's suffering to the crucifixion of Jesus in an Easter message as protestant leaders also decried Israel's continuing war in the Palestinian enclave. Pope Francis has also called for an end to the war.