Dallas church leader says protest organizer "is nothing but a thug"

DALLAS, Texas - An anti-Trump protest in front of First Baptist Dallas has now sparked a war of words between the leaders of the organizations.

Dr. Robert Jeffress, senior pastor of the church, and Next Generation Action Network Leader Dominique Alexander are at odds following a protest Saturday night that ended at the church in Downtown Dallas.

One of the biggest issues is the pastor describing Alexander as a “thug” during an interview on FOX News, a word the Dallas protest organizer says is racist.

Alexander has been a highly visible protester against Donald Trump since the election. Over the weekend, his group marched to First Baptist Dallas, where he said, “This church right here is the mother mecca of the hate that lives inside all of Dallas."

While not providing any specifics on the remark, Alexander singled out the pastor, a Trump supporter who has appeared at Trump rallies and is part of the president-elect's spiritual advisor team.

As a FOX News contributor, Jeffress was asked specifically about Alexander this week in interviews with Bill O'Reilly and Lou Dobbs.

“What your viewers need to know about Dominque Alexander is he's the same guy who staged the police protest during which 5 officers were killed here in Dallas,” the pastor said on the program. “He doesn't like Donald Trump's hate rhetoric or my hate rhetoric, and yet this guy, just a few years ago, was charged with causing serious bodily harm to the 2-year-old son of his girlfriend. And he's concerned about my rhetoric? He's nothing but a thug."

“Thug is the 21st century way of calling an African-American child a n***er,” the Next Generation Action Network leader said.

Alexander also questioned why Jeffress is bringing up his criminal past. He pleaded guilty to abusing his girlfriend's 2-year-old son and served prison time for probation violations.

Jeffress has not responded to Alexander's request for an apology in an open letter he posted.

The church only released the following statement:

“This Sunday, our Pastor, Dr. Robert Jeffress, will not be addressing protests or politics. He will be faithfully teaching how all people may experience eternity in heaven through a relationship with our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ — as he does each week.”