Christian group sues Quebec City for cancelling show by U.S. singer Sean Feucht
A Canadian Christian group is suing Quebec City under the Charter of Human Rights and Freedoms after the municipality cancelled a show by U.S. Christian musician Sean Feucht.
Last summer, Feucht embarked on a tour of eastern Canada with plans to perform shows in a half a dozen locations. However, each of the six venues cancelled permits or otherwise turned him away, often citing public safety or security concerns after complaints from local residents and planned protests.
Concerts were cancelled in Charlottetown. P.E.I., Moncton, N.B., Gatineau, Que. and Vaughan, Ont., as well as Quebec City.
The City of Montreal fined a local church $2,500 for hosting a concert in a church it said did not have a permit.
A second tour of western Canada was also met with cancellations in Winnipeg and the B.C. cities of Abbotsford and Kelowna. Feucht did manage to perform in Saskatoon and on the south lawn of the Alberta Legislature in Edmonton, where he attracted large crowds and noisy protests.
The suit names as its plaintiff the Burn 24/7 Canada Worship Ministries Society, a non-profit group based in British Columbia that organized the tour. (In 2005 Feucht founded the U.S. group Burn 24/7, of which the Canadian group is an affiliate.) The group says on its website: “At the core of our ministry is the call to host extended times of worship and prayer, uniting people of every denomination to lift up the name of Jesus and intercede for their communities.”
The Justice Centre for Constitutional Freedoms (JCCF), which announced the court action, said in a release that on July 4, Burn 24/7 Canada signed a lease with Quebec City to hold a worship and prayer event at ExpoCité, a multi-site entertainment complex in the city.
“The organization paid the full rental fee of $2,609.93 on July 14,” it said. “However, without notice, the City cancelled the lease on July 23 — just one day before the scheduled event — claiming the presence of a ‘controversial’ artist had not been disclosed. Officials stated publicly that ExpoCité had terminated the contract after determining an ‘artist who generates significant controversy has consequences for ExpoCité’s reputation.'”
The suit, which names Feucht as a respondent, is seeking reimbursement of the $2,609.93 paid by Burn 24/7 as well as “a judicial declaration of unjustified infringement of … rights of freedom of religion, expression, opinion, peaceful assembly, and non-discrimination on the basis of religious or political opinion” and $5,000 in Charter damages under the same wording.
The allegations have not been proven in court.
Olivier Séguin, the lawyer for the plaintiff, said in a statement: “In this era of cancel culture, it’s easy to see why some private citizens might yield to public pressure. But when government officials do the same, it crosses a line. The City’s conduct is inexcusable and must be punished.”
In a video message, Séguin added: “I am sure that some of you may like (Feucht) or not like him. It doesn’t really matter what you think, what I think, what the media thinks and what the government thinks doesn’t matter at all, and that’s the whole point of what we do. Why? Because we live in a free country where we have every right to think and say what we think is right.”
Feucht, who describes himself as a missionary, author and activist, has spoken out against “gender ideology,” abortion and the LGBTQ+ community, and his religious and political views have earned the praise of U.S. President Donald Trump.
“Your faith is a force that our enemies can never ever extinguish,” Trump says in a video on Feucht’s website. “By uniting citizens of all denominations and backgrounds to promote faith and freedom in America, you are strengthening our entire nation.”
The Atlantic magazine has described Feucht as a Christian nationalist and “MAGA superstar,” writing: “Between praising President Donald Trump as God’s chosen one and suggesting that abortion supporters are ‘demons,’ Feucht has repeatedly advocated for the fusion of church and state.”
A spokesperson for the JCCF said the group is considering other legal challenges, including in Abbotsford, where it sent a warning letter to the city prior to the cancellation of the event there.
“I don’t presently have information to share on other anticipated court applications,” he said. “I do anticipate a release of information on an additional legal challenge within the next few weeks.”
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