What it is or is not is IRRELEVANT. The right of freedom of religion is being trampled.
Oh I agree with you there, it is a normative liturgy of the Church which should be allowed to be celebrated.
I think it was almost a sin for Catholics not to take a fine and get arrested in this case. Sometimes you just have to take a stand for Jesus.
No matter what the subject there is always a group of people who can't see the forest for the trees or they just enjoy nitpicking and looking for the smallest details to criticize.
Imagine someone drove a Ryder truck up to the Vatican and detonated it on Easter Sunday. You could guarantee that someone would show up and mention how it was actually a EuroRent, or that it was a diesel when most Ryder trucks are gasoline, etc.
It could have been confessions, or a baptism, or an Alcoholica Anonymous meeting. The actual point is that the police shouldn't be infringing on the rights of people to congregate in a church.
Meanwhile, in the same city on the same day you have this. The difference between the two is that the second group would probably have rioted and the police would have spent the rest of the day trying to contain the damage.