Two Canadian legal organizations say they will defend a Montreal church and U.S. Christian musician Sean Feucht after several municipalities and federal agencies cancelled event bookings for Feucht, and the City of Montreal fined the church for hosting his event.
Ministerios Restauración/Église MR invited Feucht to play at its downtown Montreal church on July 25, after his permit to perform in Quebec City on the same day was cancelled.
Permits for several other public venues have been cancelled this month during the Canadian leg of Feucht’s “Let Us Worship” tour, with some citing “safety” concerns and others calling Feucht “controversial.”
City of Montreal officials also accused Feucht of using hateful and discriminatory speech, referring to his out-spoken stance on gender ideology and abortion.
Feucht, who describes himself as a missionary, musician, and author, said the Montreal church was simply “doing what the church does,” adding that the event was a worship service.
The Democracy Fund (TDF) director of litigation Mark Joseph offered a similar assessment in an interview with The Epoch Times. He said the city’s actions sets a “dangerous precedent” that could be used against any religion, adding that the TDF will legally defend the church against the fine.
“Everyone was aware that this was going on, and obviously we were outraged when we heard that a ticket was issued for the worship event,” he said, adding that Feucht’s Canadian tour was being monitored by many civil liberties groups.
“It’s very disturbing to us that this is the approach the state has taken, and we don’t understand the reasoning behind it,” he said. “People have the right to freely express themselves and engage in peaceful worship under their religious freedom, and as long as those rights are not infringing on the legitimate rights of others, they’re perfectly allowed to exercise those rights.”
He said that it was not clear how the issue would proceed until they see the ticket.
“We haven’t actually seen the ticket yet. So it really comes down to what the city charges, what offence they put on the ticket.”
Codette told The Epoch Times in a July 29 email that “permitted uses in buildings are governed by their certificate of occupancy.” She said it was determined by urban planning regulations of each borough.
“In the case of the church that hosted the show, the building does not have a certificate of occupancy permitting concerts or performances,” she said in the email.
‘Court Cases Coming’
Parks Canada and several municipalities have cancelled permits for Feucht’s events at public venues, including in Charlottetown, and Moncton, N.B., citing security concerns. Permits were also pulled in Quebec City and Gatineau, with officials citing his views as the reason for cancellations.Director of litigation for the Justice Centre for Constitutional Freedoms (JCCF), Marty Moore told The Epoch Times in an email that lawsuits will be filed against the municipalities that cancelled Feucht’s events.
The Canadian non-profit group said it is working with Feucht’s team to hold the entities that cancelled the bookings accountable.
“Court cases are coming,” he said in the email.
JCCF said that by by cancelling Feucht’s events, authorities violated Canadians’ constitutional freedoms of expression and peaceful assembly.
Feucht told the audience during a performance in Alfred, Ont., on July 26 that his team had paid for venues in Canadian cities and that the government is “apparently” not refunding the money. He said while he is not the “suing type of person,” there is “a time when you need to take a stand.”
The events are part of Feucht’s “Let Us Worship” tour. The tour has managed to line up alternative venues for each of the cancelled events.
Feucht has events scheduled in western Canada in August, and Moore said the JCCF would be working with organizers of the events “to defend their right” to hold them.
