'Fascist' Crackdown? Canadian Christian Faces Jail Time for Expressing His Beliefs at Gay Pride Event
Two years ago, 51-year-old Bill Whatcott of Canada handed out flyers at a gay pride event that outlined the plan of salvation through Jesus.
According to The Federalist, the pamphlets he distributed also allegedly said homosexuality is associated with sexually transmitted diseases, including HPV of the rectum.
Last week Whatcott was arrested for his actions.
His crime? "Willful Promotion of Hatred against an identifiable group, namely the gay community," reads a news release from the Toronto Police Service.
The statement goes on to say that Whatcott, "distributed anti-gay material which promoted hatred towards the gay community."
A YouTube video shows supporters surrounding Whatcott in prayer at the police station where he turned himself in.
"It should not be a criminal offense to express one's opinion on a homosexual pride parade," Whatcott says in the video while wearing a shirt with the scripture, "Pride Goes Before Destruction," taken from .
"What Satan meant for evil God will turn around for good," shouted one supporter.
Since his arrest, Whatcott says he has been fired from his job and has been sharing his story on Facebook. He says while in jail, he was at times, denied food and medication for an eye infection.
"I think with the refusal of medications I think there is some direct responsibility with the Remand nurse," Whatcott says in a Facebook Live video. "So I did go to the Calgary Remand Centre in the evening of Saturday and she could've got my eye drops, they came with me. She just simply refused."
"She just said I'm not giving you any tonight. It was like you just go to your cell and forget it," said Whatcott.
He added, "There was a police officer that took me to the hospital in the wee hours of I think it was Friday night to Saturday morning. That guy was quite abusive. I told him I had an eye infection. He said 'oh well you've got lots of infections. They got an STD clinic where we can get you cleaned up.' Just a very ignorant and unfounded comment. And that was his attitude as well at the hospital, just sort of abusive, telling the staff in the emergency that I was a hate criminal. It was just not a good thing."
Meanwhile, conservative commentator Ben Sharpio commented on Whatcott's case, calling it, "Fascism."
Whatcott was released on bail after agreeing to remove the fliers from his website. He is due in Toronto court on July 23 and if convicted he could face up to two years in jail.
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