U.S anti-gay and Canadian anti-abortion activists arrested in Regina

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      A controversial American anti-gay activist, who was detained at the Regina airport upon entering Canada on April 10 but released, has been arrested for trespassing.

      Peter LaBarbera, president of Americans for Truth About Homosexuality (identified as a hate group by the Southern Poverty Law Center), was at the University of Regina on April 14, where he was with Bill Whatcott, a Saskatchewan Christian anti-gay and anti-abortion activist.

      The two men were distributing pamphlets against homosexuality and abortion, along with displaying placards featuring pictures of aborted fetuses.

      Whatcott, who was also arrested, has a history of human rights complaints filed against him, and was ordered to pay a fine of $7,500 by the Supreme Court of Canada in 2013 for violating Saskatchewan's human rights code and promoting hatred against gays and lesbians.

      Whatcott's arrest was captured in a video posted online.

      LaBarbera had entered Canada to participate in an anti-abortion conference by the Saskatchewan Pro Life Association in Weyburn, Saskatchewan, on the weekend.

      His arrival had been protested by a concerned citizens group, Intolerance Free Weyburn, and a Pro-Love rally.

      Comments

      7 Comments

      Hazlit

      Apr 14, 2014 at 8:55pm

      Screwing with vaginas in Regina--never a good idea!

      Pauli

      Apr 15, 2014 at 10:27am

      I understand that Canadian gays think that everyone who comes into Canada and does not agree with gay marriage should be denied entry, and that a Canadian citizen who does not believe in gay marriage should have his or her citizenship revoked, including the sick and elderly.

      cuz

      Apr 15, 2014 at 2:06pm

      Arrested for handing out pamphlets. What a joke Canadian "justice" is. I don't agree with the content of those pamphlets, but are we so sensitive that we want to jail all who oppose us? That's a sure sign of weakness.

      Ryan

      Apr 15, 2014 at 4:41pm

      Spreading pure hatred is technically within the freedom of speech I suppose. But it would appear that it was viewed as harassment, and sounds like they were being charged with trespassing. Doubtful that they will end up with any charges. Glad they were removed peacefully. They are disgusting human beings.

      fromregina

      Apr 15, 2014 at 9:16pm

      The article isn't quite accurate. The university had asked them to leave because they had not been granted permission to set up a stand on campus, but mostly because the anti-abortion posters were exceptionally graphic. As for dealing with the spew of hate, the U of R pride center set up a peaceful alternate protest. The reason they we're removed was “Our staff felt that their … material would cause upset on this campus, discrimination and potential harm and harassment against members of the community,” said U of R provost and academic vice-president Tom Chase. Reasonable enough, they we're told not to set up, they did anyway, the get kicked out.

      Martin Dunphy

      Apr 15, 2014 at 10:51pm

      fromregina:

      Thank-you for the comment. In an effort to get out "breaking" news, the article was written before much of the information you supplied was available.
      Thanks for the update!

      Jeffry

      Sep 19, 2014 at 4:35pm

      I am new student in U of R, in my point of view, being gay is not a big deal.
      As long as you are happy, that is find, no need for rejection.