Canadian pastor's lawyer: Cops were desperate to charge him after protest at health minister's house
'They're facing now criminal charges for holding a protest outdoors without a mask.'
Arrest of Artur Pawlowskiscreenshot/YouTube/Artur Pawlowski TV
Murdoch
Anthony Murdoch
Mon Jan 10, 2022 - 5:11 pm EST Mon Jan 10, 2022 - 5:12 pm EST
CALGARY, Alberta (LifeSiteNews) – The lawyer for Pastor Artur Pawlowski said it's "uncertain" why police ended up charging the preacher and his brother for breach of probation under an old court order after the pair were arrested and jailed following a New Year's Day highway takedown.
Pawlowski's lawyer, Sarah Miller of JSS Barristers, said the pastor and his brother Dawid were first stopped at a drunk driving check point on New Year's Day after leaving a protest against mandatory injections and COVID rules held outside Alberta Minister of Health Jason Copping's house.
"Ultimately, the cops decided they could charge Artur and Dawid with…the breach of Justice Rookes' order" which was "issued way back in May when we were having the lockdown rodeos and other events being held by Christopher Scott and Whistlestop," said Miller, as reported by Rebel News.
Miller detailed how upon the brothers' initial arrest, even the police themselves were "confused" as to what to charge the bothers with.
"So, I mean, there's a lot of confusion because I think the police were even confused," said Miller.
The police stop was uncharacteristically set up in a residential area.
"You know, Artur was first stopped for a breathalyzer test; they set up a breathalyzer stop right outside or right down the street from where they had been protesting. Why? I have no idea. They don't seem to be any indication of any drinking at the protest. Obviously, there [were] no impaired driving charges laid," said Miller.
According to Miller, police officers first said they were arresting Pawlowski for mischief, then changed the charge to "mischief and trespass."
"Neither of those charges were laid," said Miller.
"Ultimately, eventually they said, oh, breach of probation. The charge for a breach of probation was not laid."
Miller said that even the "police were confused."
"I think all that confusion then led to Artur being confused and Dawid being confused, as both of them were arrested for all these mixed-up charges," added Miller.
On May 6, 2021, Associate Chief Justice John Rooke of the Alberta Court of Queen's Bench issued a restraining order which forbade citizens from gathering to publicly protest or from encouraging "illegal" COVID protest gatherings.
This order allowed police to arrest, detain, and imprison anyone who disobeyed. However, this order was intended to be directed at Christopher Scott, the owner of Whistle Stop Café in Mirror, Alberta, who earlier defied government health orders and opened for dine-in service.
The May 6 injunction was originally worded in such a way that in theory it could apply to every Albertan, allowing police to arrest anyone who violated COVID-19 rules. However, the Justice Centre for Constitutional Freedoms (JCCF) had this order revised on May 13 to only apply to Scott.
According to Miller, for "all intents and purposes, I understood that that order [Rooke's] because of those provisions that were obtained by the Justice Center for Constitutional Freedoms, would no longer apply to regular Albertans anymore."
"Very clearly, the January 1st protest is not under those people's instructions or in concert with them. There's a wholly different event seven months later after that order has been issued. And now that's what the police have arrested him for a breach of justice order," added Miller.
Miller said that "it's very uncertain why the police believe that that order is something that they can arrest under."
"I have no idea what the impetus of this was, we're working on finding out if Rooke's order is even in place. You know, there's certain information I've received that it was struck from the court. I'm waiting to hear from the court that will take a few weeks, but I'm waiting to hear from the court if it was indeed struck," she added.
Miller said that this charge against Pawlowski and Dawid "has to go away."
"But in the meantime, they're facing now criminal charges for holding a protest outdoors without a mask," she said.
Artur's son 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.
Nathaniel filmed video of the Pawlowski brothers' arrest on January 1. It was first posted online by Rebel News.
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.
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 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 use official government language regarding the virus each time they challenged government rules in public.
— Article continues below Petition —
PETITION: Free Novak Djokovic - and let him play!
Show Petition Text
104214 have signed the petition.
Let's get to 125000!
Thank you for signing this petition!
Add your signature:
Country...
State...
Keep me updated via email on this petition and related issues.
Country... State...
UPDATE (1/18/2022):
Even with our petition to Australia's federal government officials surpassing 100,000 signatures over the last week, Novak Djokovic's battle to remain in the country and compete in this year's Australian Open has unfortunately come to an end.
As you may recall, Djokovic's visa was originally reinstated after a Federal Circuit Judge ruled him eligible to stay in Australia, largely thanks to the legitimate, government-issued exemption from the national vaccination mandate that he had obtained upon entry.
However, Australia's Immigration Minister Alex Hawke was quick to intervene, and took unilateral action to cancel Djokovic's visa once again last week.
Djokovic remained steadfast, though, and immediately appealed this decision.
However, things unfortunately did not turn out as we had hoped: The courts ruled in favor of the Australian federal government, resulting in Djokovic's deportation and, as a result, barring him from competing in this year's Australian Open, for which he is a defending nine-time champion.
Needless to say, this is a major setback in the global battle to restore basic human rights in the face of unprecedented authoritarian medical tyranny, and emphasizes the terrifying concept that, if it can happen to the world's #1 tennis player, it can happen to you.
And even this may not be the end of it: It now seems likely that Djokovic could also be banned from participating in the 2022 French Open due to his vaccination status as well!
Djokovic returned to Serbia this morning after facing weeks of discrimination, detainment, and arbitrary enforcement of existing Covid policies in Australia.
He landed in Belgrade to chants of "We love Novak" by supporters who gathered to show their support for the world champion.
We support Novak, too, as well as every individual's right to make personal medical decisions for themselves without government manipulation and intimidation. And while Novak Djokovic may be just the latest victim of intrusive Covid restrictions, he, tragically, will not be the last.
Nonetheless, we will continue to fight for the rights of all people worldwide who find themselves in similar positions, and we hope you will, too.
Thank you for supporting our effort to help free Novak Djokovic!
We have good news and bad news...
The good news is that our petition to FREE NOVAK DJOKOVIC is inching closer and closer to 100,000 signatories from across the globe and was delivered in person to Australian Immigration Minister Alex Hawke.
The bad news is that, as of today, Novak Djokovic's visa has been CANCELED yet again by Australia's increasingly tyrannical federal government.
That's why, if you haven't already, we need you to SIGN and SHARE our petition so that we can emphasize our outrage over Australia's deplorable treatment of unvaccinated people, as well as its arbitrary enforcement of its own Covid rules.
Earlier this week, a Federal Circuit Judge in Australia ruled that Djokovic, who is unvaccinated but obtained a government-issued exemption from the country's national mandate, was free to stay in the country and compete in the Australian Open later this month, reinstating his Visa after it had been canceled by the Australian Border Force (ABF).
Prior to the ruling, Djokovic had been detained in a government-run isolation facility, even though he already had natural immunity from the virus and the state of Victoria's Health Department, along with Tennis Australia, had approved his vaccination exemption. Luckily, Judge Anthony Kelly felt differently, and allowed Djokovic to go free.
This came as excellent news and a positive development in Djokovic's case, but, as we warned in our most recent update, this didn't necessarily signify the end of things...
Earlier today, Australia's Immigration Minister, Alex Hawke, took unilateral action to OVERRULE Monday's court decision and canceled Novak Djokovic's visa yet again.
This means that he will be forced to leave the country just days before the start of the 2022 Australian Open.
"Today I exercised my power under section 133C(3) of the Migration Act to cancel the visa held by Mr Novak Djokovic on health and good order grounds," Hawke said in his announcement, "on the basis that it was in the public interest to do so."
But we all know the truth: What's truly in the public interest would be for government officials to stop abusing their power, following their own rules for vaccination exemptions, and ending this unprecedented discrimination against ALL unvaccinated people, including Novak Djokovic.
But this fight is NOT over: Djokovic is appealing the Immigration Minister's decision in federal court once again, and his lawyers are currently fighting for his right to remain in Australia and compete in the tournament, which begins Monday.
Nevertheless, we must exercise maximum pressure on Prime Minister Morrison, Immigration Minister Hawke, and all concerned federal authorities, and let them know that such blatantly discriminatory violations of human rights will NOT go unchallenged.
So if you haven't already, please SIGN this petition. And if you already have, please SHARE it on any of the following social media platforms by clicking on these links:
Click here to share on Gab
Click here to share on MeWe
Click here to share on Telegram
Click here to share on Twitter
Click here to share on Facebook
Novak Djokovic's freedom is on the line once again, and we mustn't sit idly by while Australia's unchecked medical tyranny becomes the new normal in this unprecedented age of government overreach and manipulation.
With your help, we can FREE NOVAK DJOKOVIC again!
'Australia cancels visa of unvaccinated tennis star Novak Djokovic for the second time': https://www.lifesitenews.com/news/breaking-australia-cancels-visa-of-unvaccinated-tennis-star-novak-djokovic/
Our petition to FREE NOVAK DJOKOVIC has really caught fire!
Over the weekend, thanks to people like YOU, this important appeal to Australia's Prime Minister and concerned federal authorities calling on them to release tennis champion Novak Djokovic from his detainment has gained signatures from people all over the world!
Where things stand currently, our petition has obtained more than 83,000 signatures within just a few days, and that number is still growing!
And, most importantly, as of today -- Monday, January 10th -- Djokovic is a FREE MAN once again!
While things appear hopeful for the time being, though, Djokovic's freedom is not guaranteed, as immediately after his release, Australia's Immigration Minister still threatened to jail and deport him for not being vaccinated for Covid-19.
Djokovic, who requested and was granted a legitimate vaccine exemption from Victoria's Department of Health and Tennis Australia, was denied entry to Australia when he arrived last Wednesday to compete in the upcoming Australian Open later this month.
His visa was rejected by the Australian Border Force (ABF) and, in turn, Djokovic, then detained, filed a legal challenge to his pending deportation, which was considered earlier today.
The result: Judge Anthony Kelly of the Australian Federal Circuit Court reinstated Djokovic's visa, thwarting attempts on behalf of federal government institutions that sought to bar him from staying in the country and competing in the tournament, even though he'd obtained a government-issued exemption from Australia's authoritarian nationwide vaccine mandate.
This is excellent news, and further proof that the grassroots efforts of people like you are having a meaningful impact in all corners of the world.
But, unfortunately, as mentioned above, this saga is far from over...
Even with this court ruling, the jury is still out on what Australia's federal government will do next.
As reported by the Associated Press, Christopher Tran, a government attorney, has suggested that the Australian Minister of Immigration, Alex Hawke, may yet pursue further action on the matter, claiming he ""will consider whether to exercise a personal power of cancellation."
If, in fact, he does, this would mean that Djokovic could not only face potential deportation once again, but be at risk of being banned from Australia for a total of three years.
That's why we're asking for your help, one more time, and relaunching this important petition to defend Novak Djokovic against Australia's tyrannical federal government.
While today produced a positive development in the effort to free Novak Djokovic, as things currently stand, it's anyone's guess what may happen next.
Your efforts helped free Novak Djokovic once, and with your continued support, we can help keep him free.
Freedom-loving people across our world must stand up to Covid tyranny, be it Down Under or anywhere else, and there couldn't be a better time to make your voice heard by adding your name to this worldwide appeal.
If it can happen to the world's #1 tennis player, it can happen to any of us.
Novak Djokovic, the #1 ranked tennis player in the world, is currently LOCKED UP in an Australian detainment center. Yes, you read that right, Novak Djokovic is currently a political prisoner because of Australia's out of control COVID tyranny.
Please SIGN AND SHARE this petition to Australian Prime Minister Morrison demanding Novak Djokovic be set free immediately and allowed to compete in the Australian Open.
The defending champion of the Australian Open, Djokovic had been preparing to compete in the tournament again this year when he was denied entry into Australia upon the rejection of his visa due to his not being "vaccinated" for COVID-19.
But when one looks further at the situation, it becomes clear that singling out Djokovic -- as if he were a criminal -- was never about health after all.
Australian Prime Minister Scott Morrison took to Twitter to virtue-signal to the public, declaring that Djokovic had been denied entry into Australia because "nobody is above the rules."
But, in reality, Djokovic had followed the rules and obtained a medical exemption from the country's vaccination mandate from two independent medical boards at the state of Victoria's Department of Health and Tennis Australia, the governing organization for tennis in Australia.
Novak Djokovic had a very public case of COVID last summer from which he acquired robust natural immunity. Additionally, it is now abundantly clear that the COVID shots are totally ineffective in combatting the virus' new variants. So why insist on making an example of a healthy professional athlete with naturally acquired immunity?
Because this is not really about Novak Djokovic specifically -- this is a message to the rest of us about who is in control.
The tyrannical government of Australia wants you to know that the rules are whatever they say they are, and if you object, regardless of reasoning, they will ultimately have the final say.
If a successful, internationally recognized professional athlete can fall victim to the human rights violations of the ruling class, anybody can.
That's why we're asking you to SIGN and SHARE this petition to Australia's Prime Minister, Scott Morrison, asking him to end his government's madness, once and for all, and to allow Novak Djokovic, who obtained a medical exemption from the Australian vaccine mandate, entry into the country to compete at the 2022 Australian Open.
Right now, Djokovic is being detained in an immigration detention facility in Melbourne, where he will remain until at least Monday while a legal challenge to his pending deportation that he filed is reviewed and considered by Australia's Federal Circuit Court.
The Australian Border Force (ABF), which is responsible for the cancellation of Djokovic's visa, has simply stated the following: "[Djokovic] failed to provide appropriate evidence to meet the entry requirements to Australia, and his visa has been subsequently cancelled."
The 2022 Australian Open is scheduled to begin on January 17th -- just over a week from now, and Novak Djokovic remains in Covid limbo.
Should his appeal be rejected, Djokovic's visa will remain canceled, and he will be deported by Australia's federal government, even though he followed their own protocol(s) to obtain a medical exemption from the nationwide Covid vaccination mandate.
These arbitrary judgments must not stand, and it's time to let the Prime Minister know that human rights violations like these have no place in Australia, or anywhere else in the world.
So please, SIGN and SHARE this petition to PM Morrison calling on him to drop the political act, acknowledge the medical exemption legitimately obtained by Novak Djokovic, and allow him to enter the country so he can compete in this year's Australian Open.
'Australia denies entry to tennis star Novak Djokovic despite medical exemption for COVID shot': https://www.lifesitenews.com/news/tennis-star-novak-djokovic-has-visa-denied-by-australian-govt-days-after-receiving-covid-exemption-for-tournament/
**Photo Credit: Shutterstock
Hide Petition Text
In the spring 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 2021 for holding worship services at their Calgary church amid COVID lockdowns.
The Pawlowski brothers then 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.
Politics - Canada