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 follows COVID-19 guidelines and that the interaction is viral.
CTV News reports that Pastor Artur Pawlowski, head of Calgary’s Street Church in Alberta, Canada, was holding a service at Adullam’s Fortress (Cave) on Saturday when officers entered the building.
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Pawlowski, who filmed the meeting, addressed officials in a stairwell outside the sanctuary.
“Get out of this property right away,” he says in the video. “I do not want to hear anything … immediately.”
Most officials do not involve Pawlowski, but it seems an unknown woman is trying to declare their presence. Pawlowski did not have it.
“Out!” he shouted. “Out of this property … immediately until you return with a warrant.” The officials and officers leave the building slowly, and Pawlowski follows them.
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“Nazis are not welcome here,” he says. “And do not come out without a warrant.”
The pastor also called them ‘Gestapo’.
Pawlowski has been praised by some social media users who have been critical of locks and who see them as an insult to religious worship.
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Ezra Levant, the founder of Rebel News, tweeted the footage again, saying Pawlowski’s response was “how do you deal with the police entering a church without a warrant.”
“They are happy that they got just a tassel: p. 176 of the Criminal Code makes it a crime to disrupt a church service. The @CalgaryPolice thugs are breaking the law (and 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 can hold services there, but that they must keep their attendance below 15% and follow guidelines such as wearing masks.
The CTV News report identified the officials in the video as members of the Police Service, Alberta Health Services and City of Calgary Bylaw Services.
“Our inspectors have an important task to do and we ask that business owners and organizations treat them with respect,” the health service said. “We stand by all our public health inspectors who are doing incredible work in difficult and challenging circumstances.”
Police said there were concerns that some attendees were not following government guidelines.
According to the CTV News report, the police are determining whether tickets may be issued at a future date.