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Canadian pastor Derek Reimer is thrown out of a drag queen story time event at a public library in Calgary, Alberta.Rumble

CALGARY, Alberta (LifeSiteNews) – Christian pastor Derek Reimer, who was jailed and charged for protesting a children’s drag queen story time at a public library over a week ago, was released from a Calgary jail late Monday after he decided to sign bail papers to take care of an urgent medical condition.

Reimer, of Mission7 street ministry, was to have remained in jail at the Calgary Remand Centre until at least March 14 after initially not agreeing to bail conditions, which would have prevented him from protesting at future children’s drag queen story time events.

He was arrested on March 2 by members of the Calgary Police Service (CPS) after being warned the previous day that there were two warrants out for him because he protested at the children’s drag queen story time at a public library in Calgary on February 25.

Reimer told LifeSiteNews in an interview today that due to health reasons he decided not to take the chance of waiting for medical treatment in a jail cell and agreed to sign his bail papers on Monday afternoon.

“Come Sunday, I needed urgent medical attention. The jail could not provide me with that, and it was time sensitive, and they couldn’t reassure me when they were going to get me to an outside hospital, so I had to make the tough decision, and I signed out, and I went directly to the hospital,” Reimer said.

“I got released (on Monday) to take care of what I needed to, and now I’m talking to my lawyer about my options moving forward and these conditions, and what we can do, because I still don’t agree to them.”

Reimer said that when he initially refused to sign his bail papers, he was told by jail personnel that it “never happens” when an inmate chooses not to go out on bail.

Reimer told LifeSiteNews that he was initially granted bail in the early hours of Friday morning. However, he said he decided to stay in jail “willingly” as he thought the bail conditions placed against him were unreasonable and unrealistic.

“I was awarded bail on Thursday at one in the morning, but I wasn’t out because I refused to sign. I stayed in willingly,” Reimer told LifeSiteNews.

Reimer last week was hit with a slew of charges, including those related to so-called “hate speech,” for protesting.

Last Wednesday, a CPS officer showed up at Reimer’s house to tell him that he would soon be arrested and charged.

The initial protest against the drag queen story time took place on February 25, which saw him forcibly removed from the Seton Calgary public library, where the event was being held.

Reimer is now facing charges for a “hate-motivated crime,” which could total over $60,000 due to his yelling “homosexuality is a sin” during his protest.

The CPS said in a press release that he has been charged with “one count of causing a disturbance and one count of mischief.”

Additionally, City of Calgary peace officers have charged Reimer with six counts of harassment under the Public Behaviour Bylaw.

These charges carry a penalty of up to $10,000 each, or six months in jail.

Reimer expects to be jailed again for fighting drag queen story time madness

Before his arrest last week, Reimer told LifeSiteNews he will remain committed to exposing the “evil” of these events, which he described as playing into the “perversion and the indoctrination” of kids.

“We’ll be resilient. Someone needs to take a stand here. These are strong Christian leaders that I have linked shields with, and we are going to come together as a team,” Reimer said.

Today, Reimer said he will stand “firm” in his convictions and put his trust in God to keep exposing evil.

“I figured, with my convictions, I’m just going to be right back in there (jail) anyways most likely, so I just decided to sit in jail, as long as I could, and to ride it out and have my lawyer loosen up these conditions which were so minor and vague.”

Reimer said his bail conditions basically prevent him from protesting at any drag events, and that he must stay at least 500 meters away from where any drag or LGBTQ events are being held.

“The bail conditions are public knowledge, not to protest, not to be at any drag event, any homosexual event, or contact any homosexual, or being on social media,” Reimer told LifeSiteNews.

Reimer, however, said that his conditions are a “setup for failure.”

“These conditions are so vague that realistically, I won’t be out very long, and I’m just trying to do as many interviews as I can and get my voice out there as much as I can before they arrest me again,” Reimer said.

In June 2022, Calgary City Council, under its left-leaning Mayor Jyoti Gondek, amended the city’s bylaws to “specifically prohibit insulting or demeaning behavior, including unwanted sexual advances, or harassing anyone on the basis of age, race, sexual orientation, disability, gender, gender identity or gender expression, among others.”

Gondek had vowed to use the city’s street harassment bylaw to go after drag queen story time protesters about a month ago, after some of the events were postponed by objectors.

Reimer said Gondek is acting like the “Wicked Witch of the West” for going after those who protest drag queen kids’ story time events.

He added that Canada’s Charter of Rights and Freedoms allows him the ability to protest at drag queen such events.

Reimer has garnered the support of Calgary Christian pastor Artur Pawlowski, who himself was jailed for defying COVID rules.

Last Friday, Pawlowski blasted Alberta Premier Danielle Smith for what he said was her silence regarding the arrest and jailing of Reimer.

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