In the past five weeks, a Canadian pastor has been jailed three times for his protests against drag queen story events for kids. Eight further charges, including criminal harassment, inciting a disturbance, and violating his release terms, are being brought against the 36-year-old Reverend Derek Reimer, who was detained over the Easter weekend for allegedly uttering hate speech.
The Calgary police are investigating the allegations against him as hate-motivated after he was arrested on unpaid warrants while protesting close to a drag story time event.
Multiple Arrests on the Pastor Advocating Hate Speech at LGBTQ Events
According to the report in Fox News, Reimer was detained once more after disrupting and harassing a royal reader at the Country Hills Library. The CBC claims Reimer arrived at the event with a microphone and started yelling hate speech at the attendees. He reportedly shouted hateful remarks and harassed the management and workers when he entered the library and wanted to speak with a manager, making them fearful for their safety. As a result, Reimer was detained by the police.
He was detained twice in Calgary, Canada. On February 25th, the first arrest was made when he was violently removed from the Seton Library after objecting to a "Reading with Royalty" program. The Calgary Public Library planned the program, which included reading to kids by local drag performers.
On March 15th, police made a second arrest in a parking lot close to the Signal Hill Library. Police can be witnessed handcuffing and dragging him over the pavement on video footage before taking him in a police car. He had been accused of disobeying a release order that prohibited him from speaking to or being 200 meters away from people who identify as LGBTQ or from LGBTQ-related activities.
In the article in New York Post, the Calgary City Council recently modified its regulations to restrict these protests in response to increased protests. In order to avoid intimidation, the newly established Safe and Inclusive Access Bylaw prohibits protests within 100 meters of leisure centers or libraries. Despite this, pastor Reimer recently protested this new bylaw by holding a silent prayer session at the Municipal Building. He consequently had religious gatherings inside the structure despite receiving a 30-day trespass notice and being detained.
The arrest of Reimer was attacked by another pastor, Artur Pawlowski, who has previously disobeyed COVID-19 lockdowns. He accused Canada of having an "open hatred toward Christianity" and said that everyone who freely professes their faith is a target in that country. He will appear in court on Friday while he is still imprisoned. It was impossible to contact him or a representative for comment.
History of Violent Acts of the Suspect
Including animal mistreatment and serious assault, the pastor, Derek Reimer, has a history of committing violent acts. According to CBC, he has just been charged with committing hate crimes against the gay and transgender communities, including targeting kid-friendly Reading with Royalty events at public libraries. He was released on bond with the restriction that he avoids the LGBTQ2S+ community and gatherings after being charged with mischief and causing a disturbance.
According to the reports above, he was charged once more when he violated the terms of his bail by attending another Reading with Royalty event. Reimer was given bail a second time, stipulating that he keep 300 meters away from such events and refrain from contacting well-known artists, participants, or spectators. Reimer is expected to return to court shortly as he is now charged with new offenses.
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