Tuesday, April 23, 2019

Persecuted Christian in Canada Seeks Relief

 

Persecuted Christian in Canada Seeks Relief

United States Commission, Ambassador of Religious Freedom Remains Silent, Refuses to Help

Since June, 2018, MassResistance has been following the rigorous, non-stop persecution of Canadian Christian Activist, and Canada MassResistance Chapter Director Bill Whatcott. For years, Bill had been using MassResistance materials to preach and rally against abortion, gay marriage, and transgenderism.

He has faced government sanction many times in Canada, a nation whose Charter of Rights has no real power due to judicial activism and active government repression. Despite these sanctions, Whatcott’s resolve to preach his faith and speak out on cultural issues has not changed.

In the last two years, Whatcott has faced un precedented persecution … and in a Western nation!

In 2016, he participated undercover as a member of a fake group called the “Gay Zombie Cannabis Consumers Association”. They signed up under this alias to pass out Gospel tracts in the Toronto Gay Pride Parade that year. This parade featured some of the most horrendous, offensive, and disgusting displays of debauchery, including naked men walking around in front of women and children.

The parades have become so notoriously hostile and unwelcome, the newly-elected premier Doug Ford has not even bothered to attend subsequent gay pride parades.

Whatcott’s tracts simply conveyed the following information:

1.       Homosexuality is sinful.

2.       Those behaviors are destructive and wrong.

3.       People are not born gay, and they don’t need to stay that way.

4.       The Liberal governments in province of Ontario and the Federal Government were promoting these terrible behaviors.

5.       Belief in Christ can set people free from sin and death, including homosexuality and transgenderism.

All of this should fall under the category of religious liberty, freedom of speech, and freedom of assembly. Instead, Whatcott faces unparalleled persecution for this simple exercise of freedom of speech!

In June 2018, Bill Whatcott was arrested and indicted for inciting hatred … two years after the gay pride parade. The trials and privations he suffered in provincial and federal jails was persecution enough!

In addition to the criminal charges, he faces a $104 million dollar class action lawsuit for defamation against the elected officials and parade organizers. what was his crime? He simply told the truth about homosexuality, transgenderism, and his Christian faith.

That federal trial will be coming up shortly.

On top of that, Whatcott faced indictments for discrimination before the British Columbian Human Rights Tribunal, located in Vancouver. His crime there? He insisted on referring to a man as a man. Ronane Oger, a Green Party candidate, who has attempted to transition  into a woman. Whatcott not only refused to accommodate that lie, but published flyers and pamphlets exposing this man to the general public to end his bid for public office. For these actions—telling the biological truth about a man, publishing information about a political candidate—Whatcott was charged with discrimination.

In December 2018, after a week of testimony and witnesses, Whatcott waited three more months before receiving the verdict.  When the final judgment arrived, the very biased, pro-LGBT tribunal ordered to pay $55,000: $30,000 for violating the provincial “anti-discrimination” statutes, and $25,000 in punitive damages to Oger.

These punishments are nothing short of religious and political persecution, dedicated efforts by the a foreign government against one of its citizens to silence him and remove him from the public square.

More Persecution

In addition to the legal troubles, Bill Whatcott cannot provide for himself and his family. Initially employed as a registered nurse, his license was suspended and a heavy fine imposed for his pro-family activism. Shortly after the criminal indictment for his participation in the Gay Pride Parade, Whatcott was fired from his job as a bus driver. He has now been blacklisted from any further employment following the media backlash labeling him “anti-gay” and “homophobic.” Private firms fear similar LBGT retaliation if they hire him. All of this he has endured because of his Christian beliefs.

While gaining some funding with his own carpet-cleaning business and raising money from individual donors, Bill still struggles to support his wife, who is struggling with a serious illness and requires expensive, rare medications. He also has two children under his care. All of these challenges he faces while dealing with threats to his life and livelihood.

Yet, in spite of all these harrowing challenges, Whatcott has never ceased from preaching the truth and speaking his mind on faith, the Gospel, and against the LGBT Hate Machine. Pro-Family activists here in the United States have raised the alarm about this very real, totalitarian threat to faith, family, and freedom.

Silence from Ambassador at Large for International Religious Freedom

Many pro-family activists have hoped but are starting to wonder why the Trump Administration refuses to do anything for Mr. Whatcott.

In Election 2016, Trump ran on a presidential platform to protect freedom of speech and religion. Upon election, the President enacted a number of policies and fulfilled promises relating to freedom of speech on college campuses. He also defended saying “Merry Christmas” and has enacted numerous pro-life reforms.

What about in the realm of religious liberty? In 2018, the United States Senate finally confirmed former Congressman, US Senator, and Governor Sam Brownback (R-Kansas) to serve as the first Ambassador at Large for International Religious Freedom. This appointment faced stiff opposition among US Senators in both parties. Brownback’s confirmation required Vice President Mike Pence to cast the deciding vote in his favor. Interestingly enough, Senator, now Ambassador Brownback wrote the legislation which created the office he now holds.

Following Brownback’s confirmation as Ambassador, the United States Commission on International Religious Freedom compiled a comprehensive list of nations which engage in religious persecution against people of. The website includes ongoing assaults against religious liberty in Canada! Click on this link for more information.



But there is no mention of the persecution of Bill Whatcott!

MassResistance activists have contacted Ambassador Brownback’s office as well as the Commission on International Religious Liberty. Some of our members have contacted different officials in the Department of State, but with no results. If any case should require intervention from this body, it’s the persecution of Bill Whatcott. And yet there has been nothing: No press release, no response from Brownback or his staffers.

Muslim Uighurs are incarcerated in concentration camps in Communist China, facing privation and torture, and the US Department of State has spoken out against it. Christians are massacred in the Middle East, Nigeria, and now Sri Lanka, and Ambassador Brownback and staff have condemned those attacks and demand action to protect those religious groups.

Right now, however, there is te religious persecution against citizens in Western countries like Canada, and yet the Commission on International Religious Freedom continues to ignore this case!

There is growing concern that President Trump’s decision to enact the Commission, and appoint Ambassador Brownback, were mere political pandering to Evangelical voters for supporting his 2016 Election and to gain their support a second time in 2020. Is it a real body dedicated to protecting religious liberty around the world or not? The Ambassador and Commission’s silence on the plight of Canadian Christian Activist Bill Whatcott is nothing short of damning!

This is wrong, and the US Department of State needs to be called out!

Here’s what you need to do:

There are a number of state and federal actors whom we need you to contact.

Urge them to take a stand, intervene in the case of Canadian Christian and MassResistance leader Bill Whatcott. The untold persecution he faces is beyond unjust and must not go unchecked!



Contact Ambassador Sam Brownback:

Main number: 202-647-3607

Contact one of his main staffers, Stacy Davis (staffer)

Phone: 202-647-1212

Email: daviss@state.gov

Contact the United States Commission on International Religious Freedom:

media@uscirf.gov

 

Members’ emails:

 

esingshinsuk@uscirf.gov;

dbashir@uscirf.gov;

ecassidy@uscirf.gov;

tmufford@uscirf.gov;

tkraemer@uscirf.gov;

LEilon@uscirf.gov;

fbagga@uscirf.gov;

kbakken@uscirf.gov;

fgreenwalt@uscirf.gov;

aiverson@uscirf.gov;

klavery@uscirf.gov;

jmorton@uscirf.gov;

dnardi@uscirf.gov;

jpena@uscirf.gov;

zwatson@uscirf.gov;

sweiner@uscirf.gov;

kwerthmuller@uscirf.gov;

zudin@uscirf.gov;

hyoung@uscirf.gov;

tperkins@uscirf.gov;

karriaga@uscirf.gov;

gbauer@uscirf.gov;

abhargava@uscirf.gov;

tdorjee@uscirf.gov;

akhawaja@uscirf.gov;

nmaenza@uscirf.gov;

gmanchin@uscirf.gov;

jmoore@uscirf.gov;

 

Contact Ambassador Brown’s key staffer, Malika Willoughby:

melika.willoughby@gmail.com

Please also send messages to Ambassador Brown and the Commission on social media:

Twitter:

@USCIRF

@IRF_Ambassador

Facebook:

United States Department of State

https://www.facebook.com/usdos/

 

Contact the White House, too:

Comments: 202-456-1111

Switchboard: 202-456-1414

https://www.whitehouse.gov/contact/

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