Home Christian News Police and Protestors Face Off at the Fence Blocking GraceLife Church

Police and Protestors Face Off at the Fence Blocking GraceLife Church

An attendee who posted extensively about the protest on Twitter said, “Not everyone here is religious. They are here to support civil liberties, property rights and freedom. They are here to say no to living in a police state.” Reports vary as to the number of people who showed up to the protest. The Edmonton Journal says that the crowd numbered around 400, while CTV News put the estimate at 1,000. In addition to the crowd, cars drove up and down the highway in a convoy.

It is not clear how many of the attendees were solely there as political activists and how many claimed to be Christians. The Journal reports that “several prominent anti-mask individuals attended the gathering.” One protester carried a sign that said, “False Evidence Appearing Real (FEAR).” Another had a sign that said, “CoVID VAX ARE KILLING PEOPLE.” Another sign said, “ENOUGH TYRANNY.”

The gathering featured at least one speaker, as well as people singing “O Canada,” the country’s national anthem. One group arrived at the protest singing “Amazing Grace” and carrying a wooden cross.


At one point, the protesters sang, “Jesus Loves Me.”

An attendee named Jordon Kosik, who attends a church in Grand Prairie, said he does believe that taking safety precautions again COVID-19 is important, but also does not think the government should overstep its bounds. “I respect who (the COVID-19 virus) affects,” said Kosik, “like I stay away from my grandparents and a family member who has severe asthma, so obviously we do our best part. But I don’t like how it affects everybody as a whole, like what to do and what not to do.”

Around 12 p.m., some of the protesters started pulling down the fence surrounding GraceLife Church, but the incident was brief and soon de-escalated. The crowd started chanting, “Leave the fence alone!” and some of the protesters helped RCMP put the fence back.

Approximately 150 of the attendees, needing a place to park, did end up trespassing on the nearby land belonging to the Enoch Cree Nation. In a statement, Chief Billy Morin said, “Although I respect GraceLife protesters’ right to protest, right to worship, and right to free speech, I strongly condemn their illegal trespassing on our land, their vandalization of a Nation member’s vehicle, and their blatant disrespect of our sovereignty as a proud First Nation.” The Nation has set up a 24/7 checkpoint at its southern border for the next two weeks to protect its members and its sovereignty.

GraceLife Is Still Meeting

Despite being denied access to its building, GraceLife Church is reportedly still meeting at an undisclosed location. On Sunday, Grace Community Church (GCC) pastor John MacArthur praised GLC, saying, “Amazing to have an underground church in Canada.” MacArthur’s church has itself been flouting government restrictions on in-person worship over the past year and has been involved in extensive legal battles as a result.