Canadian pastor whose Easter confrontation with police went viral arrested after holding church service

Fox News ^ | 5/9/2021 | Danielle Wallace

[simpson96]

A Canadian pastor who went viral last month for ordering out police who showed up to his church on Easter weekend was arrested Saturday for violating COVID-19 limits on gatherings set by a new court order.

Pastor Artur Pawlowski, the head of Calgary’s Street Church in Alberta, and his brother, Dawid Pawlowski, were arrested and charged with "organizing an illegal in-person gathering," the Calgary Police Service said in a statement.

Video capturing the arrests showed several police vehicles parked on the street as officers carried the handcuffed brothers, who appeared to refuse to walk on their own. An onlooker can be heard telling the officers, "Shame on you guys, this is not Communist China. Don't you have family and kids? Whatever happened to 'Canada, God keep our land glorious and free'?"

(snip)

Pawlowski has regularly spoken at anti-mask rallies in Calgary and was fined last year for failing to adhere to COVID-19 restrictions earlier in the pandemic, CBC News reported.

He told Fox News last month that he grew up in Poland behind the Iron Curtain and equated increased government control in Canada over religious gatherings to what he experienced living under the Soviets.

In its statement Saturday, Calgary police said, "It is important to understand that law enforcement recognizes people’s desire to participate in faith-based gatherings as well as the right to protest. However, as we find ourselves in the midst of a global pandemic, we all must comply with public health orders in order to ensure everyone’s safety and wellbeing."

[fremont_steve]

Old news. He got out today. This item was dated 5/9.

[bray]

A pastor being arrested by the Police while Antifa burns down cities. Russia has more freedom than Canada.

[grey_whiskers]