CALGARY, Alberta, May 11, 2021 (LifeSiteNews) — As protests against lockdown and mask mandates are on the rise in the province of Alberta, Calgary Mayor Naheed Nenshi called protesters “thinly-veiled white nationalist supremacists.”
According to Rebel News, this past weekend, thousands of people from around the world, including Australia, gathered at a ranch in Alberta to partake in a rodeo as a protest against the COVID-19 regulations. Videos of the event circulated on social media and quickly went viral.
In a video interview with Global News, Nenshi condemned the protests and accused the protestors of being racists. “Those people at those anti-mask protests, let’s not kid ourselves,” he said. “They’re not people who [are protesting because they] need to eat. They are people who are marching in thinly-veiled white nationalist supremacist anti-government protests.”
He also claimed that the protests across Alberta “have increasingly become forums for hatred, for white nationalist groups and others to attach themselves to this conversation, such that the original discussion is completely lost.”
According to the Western Standard, Nenshi has previously demanded that citizens be more severely punished for partaking in the protest by the court system. “I think it’s handcuffing the police and their work, and we need to do much, much better,” he said. “I’m calling on the court system to take this as seriously as the police do.”
On Monday, according to 660 News, Nenshi repeated his accusation more emphatically, saying that he made a mistake in calling the gatherings “thinly veiled rallies disguising white nationalism, racism and hatred.”
“They’re not thinly veiled at all,” he continued. “They are completely out in public.” He also lauded the additional arrests which took place over the weekend.
“I was very, very pleased to see late last week that the Court of Queen’s Bench issued a preliminary injunction against some of these illegal activities and illegal rallies that we’ve been seeing around the province and particularly here in Calgary,” he continued.
In addition to seeing an increase in protests, Calgary police have become increasingly aggressive and are arresting citizens for non-compliance concerning COVID-19 regulations.
This week, Calgary police arrested Pastor Artur Pawlowski of the Cave of Adullam church, and his brother, Dawid Pawlowski. The two men were charged with “organizing an illegal in-person gathering” by holding worship services amid lockdowns.
Rebel News reported that small business owner Chris Scott was arrested on Saturday after organizing a rally in Mirror, Alberta, where approximately 1,500 people gathered to protest the lockdown restrictions. Health officials received a “secret” restraining order against Scott and all other people in the province.
Furthermore, Calgary councillor Druh Farrell recently suggested charging citizens with manslaughter if they host a party which goes against COVID-19 regulations, and a guest later dies from COVID-19.
However, despite the increased arrests and threats of fines, people are still gathering in large numbers to protest lockdowns. In Calgary, protesters gathered on March 20 to partake in the worldwide Walk for Freedom anti-lockdown protest organized by Brad Carrigan.
In April, after the Grace Life Church in Edmonton was barricaded by police, hundreds gathered, singing hymns in protest. This month, hundreds congregated in city parks to protest the continued lockdowns and mask regulations.