“What must the hotel staff and police officers be thinking?” I wondered at the Moms for Liberty annual summit this weekend.

The group was staying at the Marriott in downtown Philadelphia, and outside were loud and angry crowds protesting us from morning until night for the length of our stay.

Thankfully, the Marriott staff, a private security agency and a lot of Philadelphia police officers protected us. 

These protesters were unhinged and demonic.

Yet inside, the theme of the weekend was “joyful warriors,” and attendees were determined to keep the mood jovial. 

The speeches, mostly live-streamed, featured major Republican presidential primary candidates — Donald Trump, Ron DeSantis, Nikki Haley and Vivek Ramaswamy.

Workshops had activists talking about campaign strategies; breakout sessions dealt with the group’s philosophy and organizational issues.

Meals were especially relaxing, with mothers connecting about the issues that led them to the gathering: education, local and national politics, community involvement.

On the first night we attended a reception at the nearby American Revolution Museum, and the Moms for Liberty conference staff arranged tour buses to bring us from the hotel to the museum.

Getting on the bus, we were greeted by large, angry crowds of protesters screaming that they were protesting hate.

They frighteningly yelled at me, threatening to take my 6-month-old baby, whom I was wearing on my chest in a carrier. 

At the museum, I noticed a staffer looking so angry that I wondered if she had somehow snuck into the reception to make trouble; I kept my eyes on her the entire evening.

Then, back at the Marriott, I saw that same staffer hugging one of the protesters.

She recognized me also, and her friend followed us down the street, yelling about taking my baby away. 

Recall the chant during Pride parades, “We’re here, we’re queer, we’re coming for your children”?

We were told by the media it was tongue in cheek, that those chanting the slogan weren’t really coming for our children.

I’m not so sure. 

By the end of the weekend, my question about what the staff and security thought about this group of self-described “joyful warriors” got its answer: The Marriott staff lined up and cheered attendees.

Now when was the last time you saw hotel staff do something like that?

These workers saw the kind of people that made up our group and what was happening outside — and didn’t buy the accusations that the mothers they’d just waited on were bullies or bigots.

Outside, meanwhile, an activist who goes by “Billboard Chris” left the hotel wearing a sandwich board that read, “Children cannot consent to puberty blockers.”

That prompted one of the protesters to jump the police barricade and step onto Marriott property; within seconds, cops had the trespasser pinned down and arrested.

Indeed, police were ready and, dare I suggest, eager to arrest protesters who were taunting and trying to intimidate attendees all weekend. 

Three cheers for the cops!

For sure, Moms for Liberty has had its hands full lately.

The Southern Poverty Law Center labeled M4L a hate group (which says more about how far SPLC has fallen than about the group).

And a week ago, a local chapter in Tennessee caught flak for including a quote from Adolph Hitler in its newsletter.

Co-founder Tiffany Justice addressed that controversy during the weekend’s gala, loudly proclaiming she stood with the mother who wrote the newsletter.

Dennis Prager, a respected Jewish political commentator, addressed it as well, noting that the mom had written, “He alone who owns the youth gains the future,” and cited Hitler.

In other words, she was using the Hitler quote not out of admiration but as a word of warning about how evil-doers have worked to control society’s children. 

All told, the weekend harassment was scary but didn’t dent the enthusiasm.

Rather than get angry or apologize for our views, the atmosphere and message was clear among everyone from the leadership to the attendees: Moms for Liberty is a group of joyful warriors determined to protect America’s children at all costs.

Now the weekend can serve as a case study in how leftist bullies smear and harass opponents — and how mere moms can punch back with mere smiles on their faces.

Bethany Mandel is co-author of the new book “Stolen Youth.”