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Articles from 07-29-2021:

At Least 45 Christian Churches Set on Fire In Canada as Attacks Escalate

It has been a difficult summer for Canada’s Christians. Over five days in late June, four Catholic churches and an Anglican church were burned to the ground, the first churches to be set ablaze or vandalized to begin a summer of such desecration. Suspicious fires then broke out across the country. In all, at least 56 churches have been set aflame or vandalized, according to the True North Centre, which is mapping attacks on churches.
This is unquestionably a crisis, but you wouldn’t think it from observing Prime Minister Justin Trudeau’s response. Although the first suspected arson happened June 21, he didn’t speak out on the issue until July 1. Worse, after dozens of the incidents across seven different provinces and territories, there has been only one arrest. “Am I wrong,” asked Aaron Wudrick of the Macdonald-Laurier Institute, “or have more people been arrested in Canada this year for going inside a church to worship than for burning one down?”
Earlier in June, when a Muslim family was run down in London, Ontario, killing four people, Mr. Trudeau did not hesitate to condemn the attack. He sternly warned that “Islamophobia has no place in any of our communities” while reassuring the Muslim community “that we stand with you.” Many Christians have wondered why the prime minister did not speak as forcefully about violence directed at Christians. Does he stand with us too?
As Mr. Trudeau dithered, others celebrated. Harsha Walia—executive director of the British Columbia Civil Liberties Association, Canada’s oldest civil-liberties group—tweeted a link to a story about the church arsons and added, “Burn it all down.” She resigned nearly two weeks later.
The great irony is that many of the churches set ablaze were on indigenous lands serving indigenous people. Carrie Allison, a former residential-school student, is a congregant at the destroyed St. Ann’s in British Columbia. “The church meant so much to all of us, especially our ancestors,” she told the Penticton Western News. “I think of all our ancestors that helped to build Saint Ann’s looking over us and watching all their hard work and the place they cherished, burn to the ground.”