Arrest warrant issued for Canadian pastor permitting police do anything necessary to arrest him for restriction violations washingtonexaminer.com - get the latest breaking news, showbiz & celebrity photos, sport news & rumours, viral videos and top stories from washingtonexaminer.com Daily Mail and Mail on Sunday newspapers.
Canada and Alberta flags | Getty Images
Police in Canada have placed metal fencing around a church that s led by a pastor who was jailed for holding worship services that violated provincial lockdown rules in order to physically shut it down until it “can demonstrate the ability to comply” with the ongoing COVID-19 restrictions.
Police on Friday put up additional fencing around GraceLife Church in Edmond, days after Alberta Health Services closed the building by fencing it off, ahead of Sunday worship, Edmonton Journal reported.
Officials have accused GraceLife of violating public health guidelines on multiple occasions by holding in-person worship services where attendees did not social distance or wear face masks. Last month, the Royal Canadian Mounted Police charged the church as an entity for holding worship services in February that exceeded the limit of 15% capacity.
Share and speak up for justice, law & order.
ALBERTA, Canada GraceLife Church, the Alberta church which made headlines for defying provincial pandemic-related lockdown orders, is being blocked off by police using roadblocks and fencing to prevent worshippers from reaching the building.
Roads blocked and fences going up around GraceLife Church this morning… pic.twitter.com/qSbLXRWKut
The church first made headlines last month after their pastor, James Coates, was jailed for violating lockdown orders on Mar 5. He was held for weeks before his release on Mar 22, but still faces an upcoming trial.
Sources familiar with the situation say that the premises was raided Wednesday in the early morning hours, Post Millennial reported.
CALGARY A Calgary church leader, who has been charged under Alberta s Public Health Act (PHA) before, has posted a new video of a recent interaction he had with authorities over the COVID-19 rules. Artur Pawlowski, the pastor of Calgary s Street Church, was holding a service at the building, located at 4315 26 Ave. S.E., on Saturday. In the YouTube clip, Pawlowski confronts a group of six officials consisting of members of the Calgary Police Service (CPS), Alberta Health Services (AHS) and City of Calgary Bylaw Services. He is heard shouting at them, calling them Nazis and Gestapo . AHS ATTENDED CHURCH TO OBSERVE
Pastor James Coates of GraceLife Church in Edmonton, Alberta, speaks to the Canadian news outlet Rebel News on March 29, 2021. | YouTube/Rebel News
A Canadian pastor who was jailed for holding worship services that violated provincial lockdown rules recounted his recent experiences and the support he received from inmates.
Pastor James Coates of GraceLife Church in Edmonton, Alberta, turned himself in to authorities in February for violating ongoing lockdown restrictions that, among other things, limited in-person worship gatherings to no more than 15% capacity.
He was released in March, with his next court date being on May 3. Coates is accused of violating the Alberta Public Health Act limits many in-person gatherings in response to COVID-19.