VIDEO | Satanic prayer disrupted at council meeting

PENSACOLA, Fla. (WEAR) — A satanic prayer held at Pensacola city council meeting was disrupted by a crowd Thursday night. Police escorted people out of the meeting.

"I saw community of people come together and take a stand for what was right," explained Bruce Gullie.

The invocation was delivered by a member of the Satanic Temple.

Parishioners with the United Methodist Church of Pace staged outside city hall ready to pray, while hundreds filled the seats inside.

David Suhor, co-founder of the local chapter of the Satanic Temple approached the podium, causing the crowd to stand and begin the Lord's Prayer.

Council President Charles Bare called order and told the crowd they had to be quiet or they would have to leave. Pensacola Police escorted numerous people out.

"If you deviate away from what I feel is proper invocation speech, I will have you removed from the chamber," Bare ordered.

"I would rather be in a room than let darkness sit here by itself," one man in the audience said.

Once order was regained, Suhor began his invocation. Many continued to pray. Councilmember Gerald Wingate walked out.

Afterwards, several people in the crowd took to the podium to express their disapproval with the council's decision to allow the Suhor's invocation in the first place.

"When you invoke a name any other name under heaven that is not the Lord Jesus Christ your almost invite cursing or disaster to fall on you," said Vickie Truett.

Suhor returned to the podium, starting a conversation about invocation rights that the council president agreed with.

"Quit pushing Christian privilege as we see with the Bayview cross and so many other issues and go to a moment of silence and let everyone pray or not, according to their own conscience," David Suhor said.

Channel 3's Allie Norton attended the meeting. Take a look at her video of the disruption.