Controversial Christian rocker Sean Feucht, known for his affiliation with the MAGA movement, performed at an Etobicoke church packed with hundreds of attendees on Sunday.
The concert was originally scheduled to be played in Vaughan’s Dufferin District Park. The city denied the show’s permit request on the grounds of “health and safety, as well as community standards and well-being.”
Feucht, who unsuccessfully ran for U.S. Congress as a Republican in 2020, is also a missionary and an author who has spoken out against the 2SLGBTQ+ community, abortion rights and critical race theory.
Feucht told the audience on Sunday that he was “disturbed” by the backlash from municipalities on the first leg of his tour, but that he’ll continue to exercise his rights and freedoms.
Several municipalities, including Vaughan, Gatineau, Que., and Montreal, have refused permits due to concerns with public safety.
A spokesperson from the Montreal mayor’s office said the show “goes against the values of inclusion, solidarity and respect.”
“The place where I got the biggest persecution and resistance was in Canada. That’s wild. Not Iraq or Turkey, but Canada,” Feucht told the audience on Sunday.
He said the tour has been a trending topic on social media, which has brought more awareness to the movement.
“More cameras, more news outlets, everyone is talking about worship in Canada. It’s provoking a national dialogue,” he said.
Feucht did not respond to CBC Toronto’s request for comment.
The event’s attendees came in from across the Greater Toronto Area and as far as Cambridge, Ont., with some saying they were there to support the cause after hearing of the cancellations.
Feucht’s “brand of Christianity” is worrying given how it is being politicized and is exclusive, instead of being inclusive of all people, said Deana Dudley, a reverend at the Metropolitan Community Church of Toronto (MCC).
American musician Sean Feucht has had multiple event permits for his Canadian concert tour denied or revoked by cities and Parks Canada, as some oppose his affiliation with the MAGA political movement.
Dudley said it was upsetting to see Feucht claim “persecution” of Christians over the denied permits.
Government-owned public venues don’t always allow religious events to take place there and the MCC has also been denied permissions for that reason, she said.
“If he wants to talk about persecution, he should talk to some of the LGBTQ+ refugees that we work with, who have had to flee their home countries,” she said.
Dudley said her interpretation of Christianity believes God has “unconditional love for all people,” while Feucht’s controversial stances make the religion feel exclusive for those who agree with those beliefs.
It’s important to protect people’s constitutional rights of freedom of expression and religion, no matter their stance or controversial opinions, said Christine Van Geyn, litigation director at the Canadian Constitution Foundation.
“The government doesn’t get to pick and choose, except in very, very high and exceptional cases,” she said.
Instead of shutting down an event, Van Geyn said people should engage with it to share their views and, if possible, protest.
By censoring an event, a movement is able to gain notoriety and even more attention, she warned.
“This performer has become a martyr for a cause,” she said. “That’s the reason we’re having this conversation. That’s the reason everyone knows this performer’s name is because of the attempts to silence.”
The City of Toronto said in a written statement that a permit was not necessary for the event on Sunday as it was held on private property.
