City fines Montreal church for hosting MAGA-affiliated singer Sean Feucht

The city of Montreal has fined a local church for hosting a concert by American Christian musician Sean Feucht.

Feucht’s controversial views and growing reputation as a prominent figure in the MAGA (Donald Trump) political movement have led authorities to cancel his concerts in several Canadian cities in recent days.

But on Friday night, an evangelical church in Montreal allowed Feucht to perform a hastily planned show despite opposition from the city and is now facing a $2,500 fine.

Philippe Massé, a spokesman for Montreal Mayor Valérie Plante, said the Ministerios Restauración church in the Plateau-Mont-Royal area did not have a permit to hold concerts and had been informed in advance that the event could not take place.

“This performance is contrary to the values of inclusion, solidarity and respect that Montreal stands for,” he said in a statement. “Freedom of expression is one of our fundamental values, but hate speech and discriminatory speech are not tolerated in Montreal.”

He said the fine was issued because the organizers went ahead with the performance despite opposition.

Protesters gathered outside the church during the performance. Montreal police said they had arrested a 38-year-old man on charges of obstructing a public assembly and that a smoke bomb had been detonated inside the church.

In response to the events on Saturday, Sean Fouchet wrote on social media (formerly Twitter) that two smoke bombs had been thrown at his head.

“Now you want to fine a church for doing what the church is supposed to do — worship! Every Canadian should be ashamed and embarrassed by this. This is the biggest scandal in Canada.”

The church did not respond to a request for comment from The Canadian Press. Fuchs was scheduled to perform in Alfred, a city east of Ottawa, on Saturday before heading to Toronto on Sunday.

The self-described Christian singer, musician, evangelist, author and activist has spoken out against “gender ideology,” abortion and the LGBTQ+ community, and his religious and political views have drawn attention from the Trump administration.

The Atlantic recently described Fuchs as “a Christian nationalist” who has become a “MAGA superstar.” He has repeatedly advocated for the merging of religion and government, called Trump “God’s chosen one” and called abortion advocates “evil.”

Public complaints and planned protests have forced Fuchs to cancel six concerts in eastern Canada in the past week, forcing him to find alternative venues.

On Tuesday, Parks Canada revoked his permit to perform at a national historic site in Halifax due to “increased public safety concerns.” His concerts in Charlottetown, Moncton, New Brunswick, Quebec, Gatineau and Vaughan, Ontario, have also been canceled.

He announced the Montreal venue Thursday night after canceling the Quebec show. The performance was held at the last minute and without prior notice, according to a spokesperson for the mayor.

Fouchet has called himself a victim of “Christian persecution” and accused the Canadian government of “tyranny and censorship.”

“A few extremist activists in Canada started making noise, and one by one, all our permits were revoked for security reasons. Now we’re caught in the middle of a media and political storm,” he said in a video.

He still has concerts coming up in western Canada in August.

The Spanish-language website of the Ministerios Restauración church states that the church has 700 members whose “lives have been restored and transformed through the work of God in this ministry.”

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