Son of jailed Canadian pastor faces potential fines, prison for preaching outside kids’ drag queen story time

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The son of a Canadian pastor faces potential fines and jail time for allegedly violating a new municipal bylaw in Calgary, Alberta, when he preached and read the Bible outside a drag queen story time for children at a public library on Saturday.

Nathaniel Pawlowski, son of Cave of Adullam congregation pastor the Rev. Artur Pawlowski, was detained for preaching and reading the Bible outside Calgary Public Library – allegedly in violation of a new municipal bylaw that bans protests within 10 meters of a library.

“We went there just to preach, read the Bible and just speak,” Nathaniel Pawlowski, 23, told Fox News Digital about the incident, which was captured on video.

Pawlowski said he and friend Deklan Friesen were speaking to a gathering outside the library when police detained them, moving them away from the crowd and issuing them tickets. The reason cited was an alleged violation of the bylaw, Pawlowski said.

Nathaniel Pawlowski reads from the Bible outside Calgary Public Library while protesters demonstrate with signs and a trans flag. (Nathaniel Pawlowski)

Last month, the Calgary City Council passed the Safe and Inclusive Access Bylaw, which prohibits protests within 100 meters of a recreation facility or library entrance. The council also modified its public behavior bylaw to include the term “intimidation,” according to the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation (CBC).

The changes were made shortly after the Rev. Derek Reimer was arrested for disrupting a children’s drag queen story hour at Seton Library in Calgary. Reimer has been arrested three times in recent weeks and spent Easter weekend behind bars.

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Pawlowski said that despite the presence of counterprotesters at the event who apparently supported transgender ideology — including several people waving Pride flags who attempted to interrupt his preaching — only he and Friesen were issued tickets.

Nathaniel Pawlowski, second from right, holds a Bible and stands with friend Deklan Friesen while officers detain them. (Nathaniel Pawlowski)

“I asked the peace officers if they are going to enforce the same law on to the other side with the Antifa protesters, and he assured me [they would],” Pawlowski said. “So, I waited the entire time until they left, and nobody was served a ticket except for myself and my friend for preaching, reading the Bible and holding a prayer vigil.”

Pawlowski said his open-air preaching emphasized “morality, biblical standards, sexual immorality and how this radical gender ideology has gone too far.”

He also noted that according to footage taken at the event, an officer at the scene responded “Yeah” when asked if they were ticketing “just those who [Calgary Mayor Jyoti Gondek] opposes.”

Nathaniel Pawlowski and friend Deklan Friesen address the crowd outside Calgary Public Library. (Nathaniel Pawlowski)

“They’re just doing the bidding of the mayor and going after who the mayor opposes,” Pawlowski said, adding that he believes the bylaw banning protests in public is “completely unconstitutional” and that Gondek pushed it “because she is completely biased against anyone who disagrees with this alphabet community agenda.”

When reached for comment, Calgary Police Service directed Fox News Digital to the city of Calgary, which did not respond by time of publication.

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An officer at the Calgary event wears a vest emblazoned with “police” in rainbow letters. (Nathaniel Pawlowski)

Pawlowski said his ticket listed no penalty but requires him to appear in court. Each charge under the municipal bylaw carries a maximum penalty of up to $10,000 or six months in jail, according to the CBC.

“[Police] said that the detectives have to review the evidence on me and that they will be stopping by my home to issue charges,” Pawlowski said. “So, I assume that means additional charges, I’m not really sure. But they said they’d be coming to my house to issue more charges.”

An officer issues a ticket to Deklan Friesen for allegedly violating a municipal bylaw by preaching outside a public library. (Nathaniel Pawlowski)

Nathaniel’s father, Artur, made international headlines when he was arrested and jailed multiple times for keeping his church open during the COVID-19 pandemic. He was slapped with more than 40 citations and spent 51 consecutive days in two different prisons last year. During an interview with Fox News Digital shortly after his release, he said authorities placed him in a psychiatric ward and tried in vain to instigate other inmates to hurt him.

Nathaniel Pawlowski says young people in Canada are awakening to their diminishing freedoms, noting the case of Ontario high school student Josh Alexander. The 17-year-old recently filed a human rights complaint after St. Joseph’s Catholic High School in Renfrew suspended him for organizing a student walkout to protest its policy of permitting biological males in girls’ bathrooms.

Nathaniel Pawlowski’s father, Artur, is arrested by Calgary police in the middle of a highway on his way home from church on May 8, 2021. (Artur Pawlowski)

“I think young people have had enough of this agenda being shoved down their throats on every corner,” Pawlowski said. “Every facet of society is pushing this on us. You’ve got mainstream media, movies, TV, Big Tech, all social media, the government, laws. All aspects of society are just constantly shoving this down our throats, and it’s so openly against biology, truth, objective reality and morality.”

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“My religious beliefs are not coherent with this agenda, so I think a lot of people feel the same, and they’re going to start pushing against this as well,” he added.

Jon Brown is a writer for Fox News Digital. Story tips can be sent to jon.brown@fox.com.