As hundreds of pro-choice advocates rallied in Westport on Sunday, a similar event took place at the Basilica of St. Patrick’s Old Cathedral in lower Manhattan.
A small group of anti-abortion advocates stood on the cathedral steps. A video of one member shouting at the pro-choice marchers quickly went viral.
“You have no choice. Not your choice, not your body, your body is mine.”
This is where we are headed folks!
pic.twitter.com/VOcAbnn4BM— Amy Siskind 🏳️🌈 (@Amy_Siskind) May 8, 2022
“I am the people. The people have decided. The court has decided. You lose,” he says with a smirk.
“You have no choice. Not your body, not your choice. Your body is mine, and you’re having my baby.” He quickly adds: “Joke.”
The video went viral, with millions of views. Pro-choice advocates were outraged. Far right Representatives Marjorie Taylor Greene and Paul Gosar called the man a “hero.”
He wore Fire Department of New York logos on his jacket. Soon, “FDNY” trended on Twitter. The actual FDNY issued a statement, saying he was not a member of the department, and his comments did not represent its values.
Around the country, media outlets tried to identify him.
Members of Staples High School’s Class of 2020 knew exactly who he is. Texts and messages flew back and forth. “Did you see Max?” they asked each other.
“Max” is Max Bernegger — their classmate.
This is not his first political activism.
In October 2020 he was arrested for breach of peace. He and a juvenile had posted flyers with messages like “Kill Trump. Fight the White. This Town Is Ours” and “Kill Trump. And Once We Win We’re Coming to Westport” on Church Lane.
They wanted Westporters to think the posters were the work of a radical left organization, and that outsiders would soon wreak havoc here.
Now, in another political battle, he’s wreaked his own.