The pastor of a church in Calgary uploaded a video of his meeting with police and other city officials there to ensure that the church was following COVID-19 guidelines, and the interaction went viral.
CTV News reported that Pastor Artur Pawlowski, head of Calgary’s Street Church in Alberta, Canada, was conducting a religious service on Saturday in Adullam’s fortress (cave) when officers entered the building.
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Pawlowski, who filmed the meeting, addressed the officers on a stairway outside the sanctuary.
“Get out of that property right away,” he says in the video. “I don’t want to hear anything … right away.”
Most officers do not involve Pawlowski, but an unidentified woman appears to be trying to explain her presence. Pawlowski was not accepting.
“Outside!” he screamed. “Get out of this property … immediately until you get back with a warrant.” Officers and officers slowly leave the building, and Pawlowski follows them.
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“Nazis are not welcome here,” he says. “And don’t leave without a warrant.”
The pastor also called them “Gestapo”.
Pawlowski was praised by some social media users who criticized the blockades and what they consider an affront to religious worship.
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Ezra Levant, the founder of Rebel News, retweeted the footage and said Pawlowski’s response is “how do you deal with police officers who enter a church without a warrant”.
“They are fortunate to have received only a scolding: v. 176 of the Penal Code makes it a crime to disturb a religious service. Those @CalgaryPolice bandits were breaking the law (and they knew it),” he tweeted.
The Calgary Herald reported that Pawlowski was fined several times for violations of COVID-19. The newspaper pointed out that churches there can hold services, but must keep attendance below 15% and follow guidelines such as wearing masks.
The CTV News report identified officers in the video as members of the police service, Alberta Health Services and City of Calgary Statutory Services.
“Our inspectors have an important job to do and we ask that businesspeople and organizations treat them with respect,” said the health service. “We support all of our public health inspectors who are doing incredible work in difficult and challenging circumstances.”
The police said they were concerned that some of the participants “were not adhering” to government guidelines.
The CTV News report said the police are working to determine whether fines can be issued at a future date.