Sean Feucht’s Let Us Worship Tour Cancelled by Canadian Cities
Christian musician Sean Feucht ran into scattered opposition when leading his Let Us Worship tour throughout the United States during the pandemic. However, he is encountering government-led resistance and cancelled events during his current tour of Canada.
“This was a mandate that God gave us to go into the heart of these cities, Halifax, Moncton, Quebec City, Montreal, Toronto, to go to Ottawa .. and proclaim the name of Jesus,” he said, according to “The Epoch Times.”
He recently had to move an event to the smaller town of Aldred outside Ottawa after a permit application was refused. Feucht also has seen several other public venues in Canadian cities cancel on him, including in Charlottetown; Moncton, N.B.; and Vaughan, Ont.; citing security concerns, and in Quebec City and Montreal, with the officials directly citing his views as the reason for cancellations. But each time, he has managed to book private venues nearby to hold his performance.
City officials say the permit cancellations are based on “heightened public safety concerns” and “evolving safety and security considerations” accordig to the CBC.
On July 25, Feucht performed at a church in Montreal despite attempts by the city to shut it down. Dozens of protesters gathered outside the church while Feucht performed, and at one point, a smoke bomb was thrown on stage. “Last night, we had a lot of fun,” he said. “First time I’ve ever had a smoke bomb thrown at me, but I had my eyes open, so I dodged it.”
The Montreal church has been fined $2,500 by the city for allowing Feucht to perform without a permit. Feucht had told reporters ahead of the event that he did not need a permit to worship inside a church.
Between songs in Alfred, Feucht told the audience that he had paid for venues in Canadian cities “that apparently the government’s not giving us back.” He said while he is not the “suing type of person,” there is “a time when you need to take a stand. We’ve been doing this for three years. We have a great track record. All the venues love us, and the cities have asked us to come back. It’s incredible, like it’s been a blessing everywhere we’ve gone.”
Feucht has also said publicly, “We will all get to witness if free speech and freedom of religion still exist in Canada.” After the Montreal event, he stated, “We’ve been canceled, banned, protested and smoke-bombed in Canada, but the gospel still goes forward.” Speaking to Julie Roys, Feucht said, “We have had venues canceled. We’ve been threatened. We said that police are going to come and find us if we gather to worship.”
While some have claimed the cancellations are about silencing views, there is no evidence that Canadian cities have canceled other major protests, such as BLM rallies or anti-Trump demonstrations, for safety reasons. The stated rationale in Feucht’s case has focused specifically on security and public safety.
–Alan Goforth | Metro Voice
