
MAGA singer: Religious group denounces Montreal for fining church after concert
Ministerios Restauración Church is facing a $2,500 fine for hosting singer Sean Feucht, a rising star in the MAGA political movement tied to U.S. President Donald Trump.
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The city says it warned the church it didn't have a permit to host Feucht — who has spoken out against abortion and LGBTQ+ people — but says the show went ahead anyway.
The religious group — Réseau évangélique du Québec — represents roughly 500 evangelical Protestant churches in the province, and says the city tried to shut the show down because it didn't like the singer's religious views.
Spokesperson Jean-Christophe Jasmin says the event should not have required a permit because it was part of a routine religious gathering.
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Complaints about Feucht have led officials to cancel his concerts scheduled in Eastern Canada — decisions that free speech advocates in the country say were violations of the Charter.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published July 28, 2025.
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Calgary Herald
25 minutes ago
- Calgary Herald
Breakenridge: Government right to let MAGA singer express his controversial views
U.S. Christian musician Sean Feucht is facing new permit reviews and public safety concerns for upcoming Western Canadian performances in August. Photo by Gage Skidmore/CC BY-SA 2.0 As things stand, in just over two weeks from now, the controversial MAGA-aligned U.S. Christian singer Sean Feucht will be performing at the Alberta Legislature grounds. THIS CONTENT IS RESERVED FOR SUBSCRIBERS ONLY Subscribe now to read the latest news in your city and across Canada. Unlimited online access to articles from across Canada with one account. Get exclusive access to the Calgary Herald ePaper, an electronic replica of the print edition that you can share, download and comment on. Enjoy insights and behind-the-scenes analysis from our award-winning journalists. Support local journalists and the next generation of journalists. Daily puzzles including the New York Times Crossword. SUBSCRIBE TO UNLOCK MORE ARTICLES Subscribe now to read the latest news in your city and across Canada. Unlimited online access to articles from across Canada with one account. Get exclusive access to the Calgary Herald ePaper, an electronic replica of the print edition that you can share, download and comment on. Enjoy insights and behind-the-scenes analysis from our award-winning journalists. Support local journalists and the next generation of journalists. Daily puzzles including the New York Times Crossword. REGISTER / SIGN IN TO UNLOCK MORE ARTICLES Create an account or sign in to continue with your reading experience. Access articles from across Canada with one account. Share your thoughts and join the conversation in the comments. Enjoy additional articles per month. Get email updates from your favourite authors. THIS ARTICLE IS FREE TO READ REGISTER TO UNLOCK. Create an account or sign in to continue with your reading experience. Access articles from across Canada with one account Share your thoughts and join the conversation in the comments Enjoy additional articles per month Get email updates from your favourite authors Of course, that could change. Given the cancellations that dogged the first leg of Feucht's Canadian tour, and the potential subsequent cancellations that await his return to Canada, he might just decide it's not worth the trouble. Ideally, it would be a lack of interest that would keep Feucht at home, but those intent on boosting his notoriety are making sure that isn't the case. The would-be censors have almost become his de facto promoters. The so-called Streisand effect is on full display in this case. Your weekday lunchtime roundup of curated links, news highlights, analysis and features. By signing up you consent to receive the above newsletter from Postmedia Network Inc. Please try again The Alberta government has resisted calls to cancel the scheduled performance, and that's the right position to take. While it would certainly be fair game to criticize any government officials or UCP members who attend the show and embrace Feucht, merely allowing the event to proceed does not constitute any sort of endorsement. Clearly, not everyone sees it that way. The Alberta NDP is demanding the government revoke the event's permit, citing a vague 'responsibility' to 'uphold the principles of inclusion and belonging for everyone' when it comes to the use of public spaces. By definition, any sort of religious performance or event is geared toward followers and adherents, which makes it very much not 'for everyone.' Governments and government policy can certainly strive to promote inclusion and belonging, but there are – and should be – obvious limits on how much that can be imposed. The criteria for using public spaces cannot be predicated on such a vague concept, since it could also be turned on its head to deny public spaces to the sorts of events that intolerant religious conservatives have tried to shut down. The ' Reading with Royalty ' events at the Calgary Public Library – and similar events at other public libraries in Edmonton and elsewhere in Alberta – are not to everyone's liking. Of course, much like Feucht's concerts, no one is forced to attend. But while these drag events have been prohibited in some parts of the U.S. (I'm curious how many of Feucht's free speech-loving followers object to those bans), officials here have stood up to the calls for censorship. No doubt the NDP would come down on the side of free expression in this case.


Global News
an hour ago
- Global News
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