City of Montreal sued after fining church for hosting pro-MAGA singer
The City of Montreal has been hit with a lawsuit after fining a church for hosting the Christian rocker, Sean Feucht, who is part of the MAGA movement.
Feucht’s recent Let Us Worship: Revive in 25 Tour had plenty of trouble on the road, including shutdowns amidst performance permit revocations and city officials’ health and safety concerns. However, one show managed to go ahead in Montreal on July 25th.
Despite backlash from city officials, Ministerios Restauración, an evangelical church in the Plateau-Mont-Royal neighbourhood, hosted the performance by Feucht.
After the fact, the City of Montreal fined the church $2,500. In reaction, Ministerios Restauración responded with a lawsuit filed against the city in Superior Court.
As reported by City News, Pastor Bernaby Quevedo was not best pleased with the city’s decision to fine the church. He deemed it an abuse of their power.
The Pastor stated, “We could have paid the fine, but I think it’s better to set a precedent that the City of Montreal, especially in cases like this, can’t just hand out fines because they disagree with the way a topic gets discussed.”
The lawsuit in question is seeking $10,000 in damages. It also calls for a judicial review of the city’s decision to issue the fine and a declaration from the court that the City of Montreal violated the church’s Charter right.
However, the fine was initially justified as the church is listed as a place of worship and a convent; therefore, it doesn’t permit concerts. Additionally, the city believed that Feucht’s show was contrary to the “values of inclusion, solidarity and respect that are championed in Montreal”.
Feucht’s teachings through his music include anti-abortion rhetoric. He is also against gender ideology, the queer community, Pride month, and vaccines.
His arrival in the city stemmed further legal issues; Burn 24/7 Canada, a Christian non-profit associated with the musician’s tour, recently sued Quebec City Officials who called off the July 25th performance scheduled for a more suitable venue downtown.
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