Chris Lieberman, FISM News
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Members of the Calgary Police Service (CPS) arrested pastor Derek Reimer outside his home on Thursday following his protest at an all-ages drag queen event at a library over the weekend.
Last Saturday, Reimer went to protest at a Drag Queen Story Hour event at the Seton Calgary public library open to children of all ages. Reimer preached the Gospel and called out homosexuality and transgenderism as a sin before he was forcibly removed. A video from the event shows two men throwing Reimer to the ground as he said, “Jesus Christ is Lord … turn to Jesus and repent!”
https://twitter.com/wopizza/status/1629709815311376384
As he was told to leave, Reimer remarked, “It’s very abusive in there. For ‘love is love,’ it looks like, very hateful, very abusive.”
Police informed Reimer on Wednesday that he would be arrested and charged with mischief and causing a disturbance. The following day, officers arrived at his door and loaded him into a police cruiser. As he was taken away, Reimer said, “This is what happens when we go against the drag queens.”
BREAKING: Pastor Derek Reimer has been arrested by the Calgary police over his protest at an all-ages drag queen story time at a public library this past weekend.
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— Rebel News (@RebelNewsOnline) March 2, 2023
Reimer is a pastor at Mission7 ministries, a parachurch organization that focuses on providing for the needy and preaching the Gospel. Reimer was previously arrested earlier this year for protesting at another drag show for children. He also received several tickets for feeding the homeless without a permit in violation of COVID-19 restrictions.
At his prior arrest, Reimer said from the back of a police vehicle, “They put me in a little cage. That’s how they treat people here in Canada when they preach the Gospel against this wickedness, against this abomination, this drag queen show, all ages. That’s affecting the children, corrupting the children … Canadians, stand up!”
Reimer’s arrest is part of Calgary mayor Jyoti Gondek’s efforts to crack down on protestors at drag events. In response to two February drag shows being canceled due to protests, Gondek vowed to use the city’s street harassment bylaw to go after what she called “protests rooted in hatred.”
The bylaw carries a $500 fine for, “Communicating with a person in a manner that could reasonably cause offense or humiliation,” including referring to a person’s gender identity or sexual orientation.
But Gondek said that even the bylaw doesn’t go far enough. Last week, she tweeted, “I’ll be unpacking all the ‘reasons’ why enforcement teams & the Crown feel the street harassment bylaw & other existing bylaws/legislation are not strong enough to charge demonstrators who spread vile lies & hatred in public. And then I’ll be pushing for more. No more excuses.”
Many conservatives worry that Canada is becoming increasingly hostile toward Christians who hold to a biblical definition of gender, sexuality, and marriage. Tucker Carlson blasted Reimer’s arrest on his show Thursday, saying, “Canada has now become an atheist, totalitarian state with amazing speed. And in Canada, it’s now a crime to object to sexualized drag shows for children. You’re not allowed to say a word.”