CALGARY, Alberta (LifeSiteNews) — Anti-lockdown Canadian Christian Pastor Artur Pawlowski and his brother Dawid were arrested on New Year’s Day in a highway takedown for allegedly breaking a court order.
“I guess in a kind of new Iron Curtain of Chinada you’re not allowed to voice your dissatisfaction with the wicked, evil, lying, deceiving, corrupted government official,” said Artur Pawlowski from jail, as reported by Rebel News late Sunday. “I was handcuffed, arrested for breach, for mischief, and for obstruction, for whatever reason, I don’t really know, but those are the charges that I am facing.”
According to Artur’s son Nathaniel, his father and uncle were arrested by members of the Calgary Police Service (CPS) on their way home from a protest against COVID rules and jab mandates, held outside of the house of Alberta Health Minister Jason Copping.
Nathaniel said in an interview with Rebel News that the protest was peaceful and lasted about an hour. He observed no one trespassing on Copping’s property and said that after this, they drove home and were pulled over by police.
Video of the Pawlowski brothers’ arrest on January 1 was filmed by Nathaniel. It was first posted online by Rebel News Saturday.
The full video now uploaded to Artur Pawlowski’s YouTube page begins him saying how they were pulled over for a “second time” in 20 minutes for daring to “voice our opinion peacefully.”
Nathaniel said in his Rebel News interview that they were earlier stopped at a drunk driving check stop, which was uncharacteristically set up in a residential area.
In the video of the arrest, a CPS officer can be seen first asking Dawid if after his release from jail earlier in the year he had any “conditions.”
He asked the officer what he “breached” to which the officer said, “right now we have some fresh charges,” and then asked Dawid to step out of the car. Dawid was then arrested.
At this point, Artur Pawlowski can be heard calling out the officers, saying “Gestapo SS.”
Then, a police radio can be heard asking if Artur has any conditions that he is “breaching.”
Shortly after this, Artur was asked to step out of the car to be placed under arrest.
Pawlowski, after being removed from a car, proceeded to lay down in the snow-covered street while cops tried to handcuff him.
During the arrest, Pawlowski can be heard calling police “Gestapo Nazis,” and asked them to arrest him “the Nazi-style.”
A CPS officer can be heard saying to Pawlowski to “stand up” and after he did not comply, the officer can be seen throwing his hands in the air.
Nathaniel throughout the video can be heard calling out the CPS officers for arresting a pastor for “opening church.”
On Sunday evening, Pawlowski and his brother were released from jail on bail.
In his interview with Rebel News, Nathaniel said that on New Year’s day both his dad and uncle had earlier in the day held a church service at their Calgary Cave of Adullam church. After this service, they all decided to attend a protest at the house of Copping.
Alberta Premier Jason Kenney took to social media Sunday to call Pawlowski and those at the protest “fringe anti-vaccine conspiracy theorists.”
Kenney claimed, “All Albertans have a right to protest peacefully,” while saying the protestors had trespassed.
This prompted a fierce backlash from Rebel News founder Ezra Levant on Sunday.
“What do you mean by trespass? In court today, where Artur & Dawid Pawlowski were let out on bail, neither the @CalgaryPolice nor the prosecutor alleged any trespass or intimidation. You should delete this tweet — it is interference in a court proceeding. It’s also just false,” wrote Levant on Twitter.
Both Pawlowski and his brother have been critical of the Alberta governments’ COVID rules along with the jabs for over a year now.
In November, Justice Jo’Anne Strekaf of the Alberta Court of Appeal tossed an extreme sentence sentence handed to Pawlowski and his brother by Alberta Justice Adam Germain in October. Strekaf also stayed a travel ban imposed on the brothers.
Germain’s order had mandated that the Pawlowski brothers had to use official government language regarding the virus each time they challenged government rules in public.
In the spring of 2021, Pawlowski, who is a Polish immigrant, made international headlines for calling police and health inspectors making two unannounced health visits to his church “Gestapo Nazis.”
Pawlowski and his brother were arrested in their first highway takedown in May of 2021 for holding worship services at their Calgary church amid COVID lockdowns.
The Pawlowskis served three nights in jail before being released on bail.
In July 2021, Alberta Health Services (AHS) asked the court for a 21-day jail sentence against Pawlowski, claiming he “openly” flaunted COVID rules.