The City of West Kelowna, B.C., has cited public safety to deny a permit for a concert by American Christian singer Sean Feucht, who is outspoken in the Make America Great Again movement.
The city said in an emailed statement on Wednesday that the permit for a concert in Memorial Park on Saturday had been sought by the Burn 24/7 Canada Worship Ministries Society.
"The city, with assistance from the RCMP and West Kelowna Fire Rescue, reassessed the safety and security plans submitted by the organizer and determined the potential public safety risks have not been appropriately mitigated,” it said.
West Kelowna in the B.C. Interior was the latest Canadian community to reject a concert by Feucht, who ran unsuccessfully as a Republican candidate for Congress in 2020 and has been criticized for remarks on the LGBTQ+ community and abortion.
The City of Abbotsford in British Columbia's Fraser Valley last month denied a permit for a show at Mill Lake Park, this Sunday.
That was after six of his concerts in Central and Eastern Canada were cancelled.
Feucht said in a social media post on Wednesday afternoon that he was in Canada, posting a photo from inside Winnipeg Richardson International Airport.
"Your fav American worship leader is back. They let me in again," said Feucht.
He alluded to the controversies surrounding his Canadian tour dates in a post earlier Wednesday.
"It's wild watching 'Christian' mayors across Canada cancel outdoor worship services 'for safety reasons' while allowing mass protests and pride events in their cities," he wrote.
Feucht could not immediately be reached for comment.
He was scheduled to play in Winnipeg on Wednesday, Saskatoon on Thursday, and Edmonton on Friday. His show in Abbotsford on Sunday will now take place at a private venue.
Advocacy Canada, a not-for-profit group representing the LGBTQ community, celebrated West Kelowna's decision.
It said on Facebook that it was thankful to everyone who raised their voices "in opposition to the hateful rhetoric that has no place in our valley."
The group said it initially planned to hold a peaceful rally at the concert, but this had been cancelled.
The Canadian Constitution Foundation said last month that Feucht's Charter rights had been violated by the string of cancellations.
James Turk, director of the Centre for Free Expression at Toronto Metropolitan University, has said it raised “red flags” to see public bodies revoking Feucht’s permits.
Feucht posted on social media in August 2023 that "the LGBTQ+ mafia is a cult bent on perverting and destroying the innocence of every child they can."
He said in June last year, in an apparent reference to pride celebrations, that "June is the month you discover which people, businesses, influencers, corporations & ministries have sold their soul to a demonic agenda seeking to destroy our culture and pervert our children."
Picture Courtesy: THE CANADIAN PRESS/AP-Jose Luis Magana
