Hundreds of East African men wielding various weapons clash ahead of festival in Trudeau's Canada



Between 150 and 200 Eritreans, many armed with bats, long sticks, and blades, warred Saturday evening, spilling blood, attacking police, and destroying property. While violence over Eritrean politics is hardly unprecedented, this latest bout didn't take place inside that fragile East African nation but rather over 7,000 miles away in Canada.

Prime Minister Justin Trudeau's wishful slogan, "diversity is our strength," appears to have gone unheeded or at the very least misinterpreted in various Canadian cities, including two in the province of Alberta, all recently rocked by Eritrean riots in recent days.

Just weeks after an earlier Eritrean riot that sent nine people to the hospital, Edmonton, Alberta, saw two violent groups of Eritrean rioters, one pro-government and another opposed, battle on Aug. 19 near the site of a soccer tournament promoting world peace, reported the Edmonton Journal.

Of the 400 or so individuals who participated in the violence, 11 were ultimately treated for injuries and ten were taken to the hospital.

The Calgary Herald reported that 80 police officers restored order after invoking the Riot Act for the first time since July 1, 1999, which commands rioters to disperse "on the pain of being guilty of an offence for which, on conviction, they may be sentenced to imprisonment for life."

While police curbed the fighting near the soccer field, rioters nevertheless proceeded to bash out the windows of a nearby banquet hall along with those belonging to several vehicles.

Hundreds of Eritreans took to arms once again Saturday evening, engaging in a vicious riot in the northeast community of Falconridge in Calgary, Alberta, reported the National Post.

Videos of the fighting show militants throwing rocks and brandishing various weapons.

— (@)

Mian Wahid, a witness to the violence, told CTV News, "Around six o’clock, maybe 150 to 200 young guys gathered in this parking space and then they were holding long sticks in their hands and then they rushed towards the other side."

"It was looking like they were going there to attack some other people or some other group," said Wahid. "Initially, I thought they were protesting, but suddenly they started rushing towards the side."

One faction's attire reportedly featured the former Eritrean flag, whereas some members of the other faction wore the present Eritrean flag.

Eritrea broke away from Ethiopia in 1993 following a protracted guerilla war. The 30th anniversary of its secession coupled with Eritrean dictator Isaias Afwerki's controversial reign has been cited as the cause of the numerous clashes across the West this summer.

Global News indicated that some rioters have accused pro-government groups of using festivals in Canada to raise money for Eritrea's "repressive regime," which it would appear they would be within their rights to do in a somewhat free society. Nevertheless, anti-government rioters appear willing to use violence to get their way.

Another witness to the Calgary riot recalled seeing men pouring out of vehicles carrying two-by-fours and pipes. Upon returning to the area he told CTV News, "All hell was breaking loose with cops."

The Calgary Police Service indicated that officers separated the warring groups around 5 p.m., underscoring that this was not a protest but rather a "violent conflict between two groups with opposing views."

Superintendent Cliff O'Brien of the Calgary Police Service's north division said, "It was a very violent event. We have assigned detectives to investigate and that's what they'll do," adding that some rioters had stashed weapons away prior to the attacks, suggestive of premeditation, reported Canadian state media.

O'Brien highlighted how some Eritrean rioters directed their violent energies at police, saying, "They were actively trying to assault the police officers. I think the fact that we have multiple people injured, some with some fairly serious injuries, I think the whole incident is troubling. On top of that, this impacted the entire city because we had to pull resources from other areas."

Lambros Kiriakakos, chairman of the Coalition of Eritrean Canadian Communities and Organizations, said in a statement, "Unless arrests are made by the police and charges laid, I’m afraid these violent attacks against us will continue."

Ten people ended up in the hospital as a result of the latest Eritrean melee.

Canada is not the only nation to have imported Eritrea's civil strife.

Norway's second largest city of Bergen recently saw brutal bouts of violence on Saturday.

— (@)

Earlier in August, Sweden saw thousands of rioters storm an Eritrean festival in Stockholm, leaving ruin in their wake and leaving over 50 people injured. Seattle, Washington, also suffered the consequences of Eritrean infighting.

While Tel Aviv, Israel, similarly saw riots, the nation's leader has vowed to actually do something about the violence.

— (@)

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu announced Sunday he wants those Eritrean migrants involved in the fighting to be ejected from the country immediately, reported the Associated Press.

"We want harsh measures against the rioters, including the immediate deportation of those who took part," said Netanyahu. "They have no claim to refugee status. They support this regime. ... If they support the regime so much, they would do well to return to their country of origin."

Like Blaze News? Bypass the censors, sign up for our newsletters, and get stories like this direct to your inbox. Sign up here!

Church pastor's little children hug him and cry — 'Bye, Daddy' — as he's arrested again for violating Canadian COVID-19 orders



A church pastor in Canada was arrested again for holding services in violation of Alberta province's pandemic gathering rules, the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation News reported.

What are the details?

Tim Stephens of Fairview Baptist Church in southeast Calgary was arrested Monday for allegedly violating Section 127 of the Criminal Code by failing to obey a Court of Queen's Bench Order obtained by Alberta Health Services, the network said.

Stephens' little children hugged him and cried as police took him away from his home:

Image source: YouTube screenshot

Image source: YouTube screenshot

Soon an officer had Stephens place his hands on the side of a police vehicle while the officer patted down the pastor:

Image source: YouTube screenshot

"Bye, Daddy!" one of his children cried out tearfully.

Image source: YouTube screenshot

As he waved goodbye to his family from a barred window, his kids reached out and held his hand:

Image source: YouTube screenshot

Image source: YouTube screenshot

Stephens was arrested last month for similar violations, but CBC reported that charges were withdrawn because the injunction was improperly served.

Calgary police told the network Stephens' second arrest was "for hosting an illegal outdoor gathering that did not comply with current restrictions."

AHS physically closed the Fairview church to prevent access to the building until Stephens could "demonstrate the ability to comply with these restrictions," CBC said.

Under Stage 2 of Alberta's reopening plan, places of worship are required to limit attendance to one-third of their building's maximum fire code occupancy, the network reported.

"For several weeks, AHS has attempted to work collaboratively with leadership at Fairview Baptist Church to address the ongoing public health concerns at the site," police said in a statement to CBC. "It is only when significant risk is identified or continued non-compliance is noted that AHS resorts to enforcement action."

The network added that Stephens was previously fined and ticketed for defying public health regulations by holding over-capacity gatherings and not enforcing mask use.

What happened to Stephens this time?

CBC said Stephens has been released from custody and is set to appear in court June 28.

"We will challenge his arrest and defend against the new 'health' charge," Jay Cameron, a lawyer with the Justice Centre for Constitutional Freedoms, told the network.

Here's video of Stephens' arrest on Monday:

Pastor Tim Stephens arrested on new charges after 'underground' church servicesyoutu.be

Another pastor arrested, his church ordered closed for violating COVID-19 rules in Canada



Yet another Canadian pastor was arrested for violating a province's COVID-19 lockdown measures.

Pastor Tim Stephens and his family have been cornered by @CalgaryPolice following worship today. @RebelNewsOnline https://t.co/8OBowjhMHY

— Adam Soos ⳩ (@ATSoos) 1621199805.0

What are the details?

Calgary police arrested Pastor Tim Stephens outside Fairview Baptist Church after a late-morning Sunday service, the Calgary Herald reported.

Alberta Health Services said public health measures were violated, a prior warning had been issued, and Stephens had been fined multiple times for repeatedly breaking COVID-19 lockdown rules, the paper said.

Image source: YouTube screenshot

Stephens was charged with organizing an illegal in-person gathering, inciting or inviting others to meet illegally, and promoting an illegal gathering, the Herald added.

Image source: YouTube screenshot

Image source: YouTube screenshot

The paper said Stephens was released from custody Monday pending a civil contempt hearing next month — but AHS ordered the church closed.

The church and its members had been openly defying restrictions that most recently limit attendees to 15 people at a service, the Herald said, adding that the church's defiance angered neighbors.

The paper spoke to a neighbor who said he's been monitoring the church's behavior for months and is relieved by the arrest and church closure.

"It's heartening that after a long period of waiting and advocacy, the leadership is being held accountable and the facility is being shut," Ken Lima-Coelho told the Herald. "The last thing we need is a super-spreader in our neighborhood."

Lima-Coelho added to the paper that his 13-year-old daughter has been afraid of walking past the church.

What has the pastor been saying?

Stephens and other church leaders have said in-person services would continue regardless of consequences, the Herald reported, and that Fairview held services in an undisclosed location over the winter. The paper characterized such services as "clandestine."

Stephens wrote on the church's Facebook page that biblical teaching compels the congregation to meet in person, the Herald said.

"Our actions are not borne out of 'COVID fatigue' or simply having enough of the restrictions," he wrote, according to the paper. "Rather, our actions are borne out of theological commitments to the Lordship of Christ and his instruction to the church as revealed in scripture."

Stephens added that Fairview doesn't recognize the state's authority to intrude in church affairs, and he questions the medical necessity to limit worship, the Herald reported.

UPDATE: Lawyer says Pastor Tim Stephens unlawfully arrested under amended AHS orderyoutu.be

Anything else?

Another Canadian pastor, Artur Pawlowski, was arrested earlier this month for holding a church service in defiance of Alberta's public health orders.

Pawlowski made big headlines in April when a viral video showed him booting police and a health official from his church while calling them "gestapo."

Also in April, fences went up around GraceLife Church near Edmonton as police and health officials shut down the place of worship for failure to comply with COVID-19 mandates. Days later worshipers tore down the fences — only to be met reportedly by 200 police officers in riot gear sent to disperse the crowd.

Unsettling video shows cops assaulting, pulling taser on young man for playing ice hockey outside



Disturbing video is coming out of Canada showing police officers assaulting and aiming a taser at a young man for playing ice hockey at an outside rink in Alberta.

A viral video shows Calgary police shutting down a pickup ice hockey game at an outside rink. The cops claim that the game was violating public health orders. There were reports of 40 people at the Southwood community rink and skatepark.

According to the Alberta government website: "Outdoor team sports must also be limited to 10 people or fewer and 2 metre distancing must be maintained at all times."

Two female officers attempt to apprehend the man, who refuses to abide by the cops' orders to get on the ground. One officer is caught on video kneeing the hockey player, but he continues to stand on the ice. During the tussle, one of the police officers falls to the ground.

When someone asks why the officer has their hand on a gun, the cop replies, "It's not a gun, it's a taser, and he's under arrest, and I have the authority to use force to effect an arrest."

While pointing her taser squarely aimed at the man, the cop screams, "Get on the ground! Get on the f***ing ground! Get on the ground before I f***ing taser you!"

Onlookers urge the man to come off the ice and surrender to the police.

One female officer appears to try to put a chokehold on the man, but fails. The police officers attempt to bring the man to the ground, but he continues to stand in one place and asks, "Why do I have to go to the ground?" One of the officers kicks the man several times in the groin area.

Part 2 https://t.co/yIwLubv4DM
— AlbertaPlumber (@AlbertaPlumber)1608362228.0

The officers finally have the man's hands behind his back, and he says, "I just asked you what you were doing to that little kid."

The "little kid" could be in reference to a 12-year-old Rayan Sanoubar, who was instructed by police to stop skateboarding at the same park.

"A peace officer came sat in this car and got out and… told skateboarders we have to go and [were] not allowed to be there and we all refused and he called for backup for other police to come," Sanoubar told the Global News.

"They had him on the ground for six minutes, just frozen, cutting his skates off with a knife," Sanoubar said. "They arrested him and threatened us saying: 'We are going to give you tickets if you don't walk away.'"

Authorities said a 21-year-old was charged with obstructing an officer, resisting arrest, and violating the public health act.

Calgary Mayor Naheed Nenshi said on Friday, "If you see flagrant violations happening, you should phone them in. It doesn't mean if a random pickup hockey game starts on a rink and breaks up quickly you're going to be calling the cops — if you're seeing people putting others at risk, it's something you should be calling in."

"There's no hard, fast rules on how many people may be on a rink … but you'll know it when you see it," Nenshi added.

The names "Ocean" and "Orca" are heard being said in the video. The young man being arrested is allegedly 21-year-oldOceanWiesblatt, according to Rebel News founder Ezra Levant. Ocean Wiesblatt plays for the Portage Terriers, a Canadian junior "A" ice hockey team.

Wiesblatt comes from a family of hockey players; his three brothers, including Orca Wiesblatt, play junior hockey. Another brother, Ozzy Wiesblatt, is an NHL prospect who was drafted in the first round of the 2020 draft by the San Jose Sharks in October.

The Wiesblatt brothers and their mother, who is deaf, were featured in a SportsNet video last December, where the family from Calgary talked about how hockey helped them to overcome adversity.

The Remarkable Story Of The Wiesblatt Family | Home Team Heroes www.youtube.com

Manslaughter conviction upheld for Calgary grandfather who killed grandson

Perdomo Lopez now plans to have his nine-year jail sentence appealed, now that he's dealt with the conviction appeal.

Constitutional law firm says they will challenge Calgary in court if they implement 'circuit-breaker' lockdown

The Canadian non-profit public interest law firm, put out a news release warning Calgary’s Emergency Management Chief Tom Sampson and Mayor Naheed Nenshi that if they impose a hard 28-day “circuit breaker” lockdown, the firm will take “immediate legal action”.

Calgary votes to defund its police force

Calgary's city council has just approved a motion to begin the defunding of its police force, the Calgary Police Services.

Calgary Police Chief changes stance, now believes in defunding police

Calgary Mayor Naheed Nenshi has shared the sentiment, saying that the budget would see cuts in the coming months.

WATCH: WestJet grounds flight after attendant attempted to force face mask on 19-month-old baby

WestJet cancelled a flight from Calgary to Toronto yesterday morning when a family onboard struggled to mask their 19-month-old child.

Albertan music teacher sentenced to 4 years for sexually assaulting 4-year-old

An Albertan music teacher has been sentenced to a measly 4 years in prison after he sexually abused a four-year-old student.