Canada pastor arrested for holding “illegal” church service

by Karen Faulkner, Worthy News Correspondent

(Worthy News) – The pastor in Canada who last month ordered police and COVID-19 health inspectors to leave his church building was on Saturday arrested for holding an “illegal” service in breach of a new Alberta Health Services order.

Together with his brother Dawid Pawlowski, Pastor Arthur Pawlowski of the Calgary Street Church in Alberta was arrested and charged with “organizing an illegal in-person gathering, including requesting, inciting or inviting others to attend an illegal public gathering.”

In a statement about the arrest, Calgary police said that the Alberta Health Services (AHS) had obtained a Court of Queen’s Bench Order that applies to gatherings, and officers were dispatched to serve it on Pawlowski. “This order imposes new restrictions on organizers of protests and demonstrations requiring compliance with public health orders including masking, physical distancing and attendance limits,” the police statement reads.

According to Calgary police, the order was served on Pawlowski prior to the beginning of the service, and officers did not enter the building. However, the police said in their statement, Pawlowski “chose to ignore requirements for social distancing, mask-wearing and reduced capacity limits for attendees, and continued with the event.” Pawlowski and his brother were then arrested.

A video of the arrest shows Pawlowski apparently refusing to walk and being dragged by officers holding his arms. Referencing the Germans who exterminated six million Jews in the Holocaust, Pawlowski can be heard yelling at the arresting officers; “Do it the Nazi style! Taser me! Kill me!”

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