PROTEST AT CHURCH
Some tried to rip down fencing as police stood their ground, while a crowd gathered at Gracelife Church near Edmonton on the first Sunday after the church's closure.
Around 400 protesters gathered outside a church near Edmonton on Sunday after it was closed last week for violating COVID-19 health orders.
The range road in front of Gracelife Church, off Highway 627 about five kilometres west of Edmonton, was closed to traffic Sunday and became the scene of a protest that lasted much of the day. RCMP had several vehicles and officers in the area.
Some of the people gathered sang hymns and listened to Bible readings outside fencing that enclosed the church property.
Just after noon, however, some in the crowd tore down sections of the fence as RCMP rushed to stop them. As the fence was being taken down, some chanted “leave the fence” and “Jesus would not take down the fence.” Police later replaced the fencing, assisted by some protesters.
Few if any of the protesters were members of the church, said lawyers representing Pastor James Coates, who has been charged under the Public Health Act with violating COVID-19 restrictions and spent 35 days in jail.
Many were vocal about disliking government, the media and the police in attendance. Several prominent mask opponents attended.
Some held signs warning of tyranny and some wore shirts insinuating that the pandemic, which has caused tens of thousands of deaths in Canada, isn't real. A few carried Alberta and Canadian flags, and shortly after 10 a.m. a large wooden cross was carried down the road as Amazing Grace played from a loudspeaker.
Many people who came to the property said they came from out of town, some from as far away as Grande Prairie and Lethbridge.
RCMP cruisers were parked in front of the church and blocked the access road leading to its front doors.
The gathering created tensions with nearby Enoch Cree Nation, whose territory includes land north of Highway 627 near Gracelife. In a news release, Enoch Chief Billy Morin accused some protesters of trespassing on the nation's land and vandalizing his vehicle.
“Although I respect Gracelife protesters' right to protest, right to worship, and right to free speech, I strongly condemn their illegal trespassing on our land, their vandalization of a nation member's vehicle, and their blatant disrespect of our sovereignty as a proud First Nation,” Morin said. The news release added visitors “must follow COVID-19 public health guidelines, physically distance, and wear a mask when on sovereign Enoch Cree Nation land.”
The Justice Centre for Constitutional Freedoms, which is representing Coates, said Sunday they appreciate the support but their congregates were not at the gathering. They said they have no control over what happens on the church grounds now that the property has been shuttered.
“The closing of the Gracelife facility has understandably resulted in significant public outrage and caused even larger crowds to gather in one place,” the group said in a statement. “The Alberta government has created an even more divisive situation. It is time to end these unscientific, unjustified and arbitrary lockdown measures.”
Alberta Health Services and police fenced off the church grounds Wednesday. The health authority said the closure will continue until the church shows it can comply with health restrictions. AHS issued a closure order in January after finding the church breached public health guidelines that limit worship services to 15 per cent of capacity. The church was also found to be in violation of orders ensuring everyone wears a mask and for physical distancing between.
Coates' trial on the Public Health Act charge begins May 3.