Cellphone video caught the moment a Canadian pastor was shoved out the door and knocked flat on his back after protesting a library's drag queen event last weekend — for which children were in attendance — and now police in Calgary, Alberta, have charged the pastor with a hate crime.
What are the details?
Officers said they responded to protestors during the Seton Library’s "Reading with Royalty” event at 11:15 a.m. Saturday, Calgary News reported.
“We were subsequently called to the location for reports that several individuals aggressively entered a library classroom, shouting homophobic and transphobic slurs at the children and parents in attendance, scaring the children while causing a disturbance and subsequently refusing to leave,” police said in a statement, the outlet reported.
Two people in attendance "helped library staff throw the people out while waiting for police to arrive," the News added.
\u201cPastor Derek Reimer of Calgary, Canada is physically thrown out of an all ages drag queen story hour being hosted by @calgarylibrary\u201d— Without Papers Pizza (@Without Papers Pizza) 1677388073
Calgary police arrested and charged 36-year-old Derek Scott Reimer with a hate crime, the outlet said, adding the Reimer faces one count of causing a disturbance and one count of mischief.
Reimer is a pastor.
"CPS reminds people that hate-motivated crimes are things like assault, theft, vandalism, or any other crime where the offender was 'motivated by bias, prejudice or hate' that is based on nine characteristics of the victim," the News reported.
Officers also are pressing "by-law charges" against Reimer, with six counts of harassment, the outlet said, adding that each charge carries a penalty of up to $10,000 and up to six months in jail if payment defaults.
Another disturbance during Calgary drag eventyoutu.be
Pam Rocker — an activist, speaker, and director of Affirming Connection in Calgary — told the News in a separate story that "in a civilized society such as Canada, we should be ok to say, ‘This is who I am. That is who you are, and we are each unique in our own ways of being.’ And we should celebrate that and not be afraid of it."
Rocker added to the outlet that "these events are about respect. They’re about seeing people and allowing people to be seen for who they are.”
Dr. Kristopher Wells — a professor for the public understanding of sexual and general minority youth at MacEwan university — told the news, “2LGBTQ+ people don’t appear just as adults. They are children. They know their identities. They are looking for support. They are trying to build community, and being able to attend these events is very important. They should have the right to do that in a safe and discriminatory-free environment.”
As you might guess, Calgary Mayor Jyoti Gondek was also none too pleased about the protest:
\u201c2/Asking me to be patient & saying \u201cwe got this\u201d didn\u2019t work. We have performers being targeted for weeks & now vitriol in front of children at the library. These are not peaceful protests. This is hate. The kind of hate we rallied against for so long. It\u2019s back, and it\u2019s worse.\u201d— Jyoti Gondek (@Jyoti Gondek) 1677451491
Check out the pastor's arrest
Reimer was taken into custody Thursday, Western Standard reported.
\u201cBREAKING: Pastor Derek Reimer has been arrested by the Calgary police over his protest at an all-ages drag queen story time at a public library this past weekend.\n\nMORE: https://t.co/Ip0OEo5udq\n\nSupport his legal fight at https://t.co/zc7g2IcjLX!\u201d— Rebel News (@Rebel News) 1677793917
Fox News' Tucker Carlson ran a segment Thursday night on the situation, during which video of Reimer's arrest was shown. Carlson also spoke to Rebel News' founder Ezra Levant about the controversy.
Ezra joins Tucker to talk about the arrest of Pastor Derek Reimeryoutu.be
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