Hundreds in TV3 prayer protest against controversial cartoon

Father Leo Doyle leads protesters in prayers outside the TV3 and C4 offices last night. Picture / Martin Sykes

More than 350 people staged a protest outside the TV3 headquarters against the airing of the "Bloody Mary" cartoon.

People of all faiths gathered in front of the central Auckland building minutes before the South Park episode screened.

Many clutched Bibles and crosses as they recited the Rosary. The centrepiece was a statue of the Virgin Mary, while one child held a candle.

Organiser Greg Matheson said he was blown away by the amount of support as the protest plans began only at 7pm on Tuesday.

"If it's the right to freedom of expression then this is the right of freedom to respond and we couldn't ask for anything more."

The group remained until 10pm, when the cartoon was due to finish. One man pushed his protest further, holding up a placard that read: "If it's good enough for Mary, let's show Rick's mum," in reference to TV3 and C4 chief operating officer Rick Friesen.

But Father Leo Doyle, who led the protesters as they said the Lord's Prayer and sang hymns, used his final prayer to ask God to bless "those responsible for this cartoon, the makers in Canada and the people in New Zealand who have chosen to show it".

"We ask that you enlighten them and strengthen them to see how much harm they can do," he said.

Muslims joined Catholics as hundreds of people registered their opposition in the countdown to last night's airing of the South Park episode.

A website set up to protest against screening on TV3 sister station C4 had recorded 1300 registrations by yesterday, 500 more than the night before.

Brendan Malone, a spokesman for Catholic group Family Life International, which set up the website, said: "We have been approached by another company ... that is in negotiations to withdraw advertising from CanWest [which owns C4, TV3 and radio stations]."

The website and Catholic bishops have urged people to protest by boycotting CanWest or its advertisers.

The episode depicts a statue of the Virgin Mary bleeding.

At first this is taken to be a miracle, but Pope Benedict suggests she is simply menstruating and the statue spurts blood on him.

Federation of Islamic Associations president Javed Khan said that, like Christians, Muslims would be shocked and deeply offended by the portrayal of Mary.

"We consider Mary - peace be upon her - to be an example of a perfect human being, so this cartoon demeans not just her person and the beliefs of those who revere her, but also humanity itself."

He said screening the show also "flies in the face" of commitments given at a meeting this month of media, Islamic groups and others, hosted by Race Relations Commissioner Joris de Bres.

The meeting followed the use of the cartoons of the Prophet Muhammad which sparked violent protests by Muslims.

CanWest maintains that the Mary episode is simply satire and no "edgier" than other South Park programmes.

Mr Friesen, said a "small number" of advertisers had withdrawn from CanWest stations but he had no details.

Some 300 to 400 complaints about the decision to press ahead with airing the episode had been received.

"That's more than any other issue since I've been here, which is five years," Mr Friesen said.

A last-minute effort to have the programme pulled last night was unsuccessful.

Catholic Action's lawyer Greg King wrote to the Attorney-General to complain that it breached the Crimes Act by being blasphemous libel.

Mr King said the programme at worst amounted "to a hate crime" and urged the office of the Attorney-General to intervene.