A church in Montreal has been fined $2,500 for hosting a worship service featuring U.S. Christian musician Sean Feucht without obtaining the necessary permit from the city—despite the service being violently disrupted by Antifa protesters.

Feucht, a prominent Christian artist from California, performed at the Ministerios Restauracion Church on Friday night. The service was held despite warnings from Montreal authorities, who had earlier indicated that the event would require an official permit.

City officials had voiced strong opposition to the event. A spokesperson for Mayor Valerie Plante stated, “This show runs counter to the values of inclusion, solidarity, and respect that are championed in Montreal,” emphasising that the city would not tolerate speech it deemed discriminatory or hateful.

“Freedom of expression is one of our fundamental values, but hateful and discriminatory speech is not acceptable in Montreal,” the spokesperson added.

In response to the worship service, the City of Montreal issued a fine to the church for operating without the necessary state-issued permit, citing violations of city regulations.

The service was disrupted when a protester threw a smoke bomb onto the stage. Feucht, who was on-site during the incident, later accused local police of failing to intervene.

In a post on social media platform X, Feucht voiced his frustration: “Let me get this right Montreal: 1) You canceled our permit for a peaceful outdoor worship gathering for no reason; 2) You threaten a CHURCH on private property to not have church. 3) You send a battalion of police to intimidate us. 4) Antifa throws 2 smoke bombs at my head inside the church – you do nothing! 5) Now you want to fine the church for doing what the church does – WORSHIP.”

Feucht also said: “Every Canadian should be embarrassed/concerned with this. No bigger scandal in Canada.”

This blatant display of state overreach mirrors the authoritarian tactics seen during the pandemic and has sparked renewed debate over religious freedoms in Canada.

Christian groups critical of the city’s actions are raising alarm over the broader implications for the right to worship freely in Canada. Feucht went on to aptly say that the right to worship, “comes from God,” and therefore, cannot be taken away by what he referred to as “communist activists, government, or rainbow mafia mobs.”