David Benzies examines the GraceLife Church raid in Alberta, where Pastor James Coates faced biker-gang-style fencing and RCMP checkpoints despite no COVID-19 outbreak since January. Sheila Gunreid blames Premier Jason Kenney and Health Minister Tyler Chandrow for enabling authoritarianism, while supporters bypassed restrictions via private property. Vancouver’s They Live-inspired protest, led by Sasha (Alex the Comic) and Nikolai, mocked mask mandates with alien masks, citing studies showing minimal outdoor transmission risk. Chris Guy reveals his unjust no-fly listing for anti-lockdown speeches, contrasting it with Omar Cotter—a convicted terrorist—who allegedly received $10.5M from Trudeau’s government. Listeners accuse authorities of exploiting the pandemic to crush dissent, framing resistance as essential against escalating power abuses. [Automatically generated summary]
Welcome to Rebel Roundup, ladies and gentlemen, and the rest of you, in which we look back at some of the very best commentaries of the week by your favorite rebels.
I'm your host, David Benzies.
Incredible.
Just days after the Easter weekend, Grace Life Church was raided by law enforcement.
But why?
Well, Sheila Gunnread has all the nitty, gritty, and disgraceful details.
Well, there was a silent anti-lockdown protest in Vancouver recently, one that took its inspiration from the classic John Carpenter flick, They Live.
And Drea Humphrey will be joining me to weigh in on the shenanigans.
And yeah, just like the rowdy Roddy Piper character in They Live, Drea will be here to chew bubblegum and kick ass, and she's fresh out of bubblegum.
And letters, we get your letters.
We get them every minute of every day.
And you had plenty to say about anti-lockdown crusader Chris Skye being added to Canada's no-fly list.
I kid you not, folks.
And his crime, well, apparently, espousing politically incorrect opinions about the Wuhan virus can get you grounded in Canada these days.
Meanwhile, Omar Cotter, the convicted terrorist and murderer, yeah, he's free to fly anywhere on your coin, of course.
Makes sense to me too.
Those are your rebels now.
Let's round them up.
Sorry, so we can't even go on the property?
Is that what's happening here?
That's correct.
So what happens if I try to walk up there?
I'll stop you.
I'm a journalist, though.
Well, just when you thought the odious actions of law enforcement against Grace Life Church couldn't get any worse, we witnessed a raid on this facility on Wednesday.
The type of raid cops carry out typically against vicious biker gangs, not a church.
Apparently, incarcerating Pastor James Coates for more than a month in a maximum security facility in Edmonton was not punishment enough.
Now, law enforcement has effectively incarcerated Pastor Coates' church.
Raid on Grace Life Church00:08:05
And the question is, why?
And with more on the ongoing saga of Pastor Coates and the Grace Life Church, is our very own Sheila Gunread, who was on ground zero when the Gestapo or I'm sorry, I mean the cops marched in.
So, Sheila, my first question to you is: who do you think should shoulder most of the blame for that outrageous raid on Wednesday, the rank and file of law enforcement or Alberta Premier Jason Kenney, who I thought, well, at least once upon a time, he was a champion for religious freedoms?
I think Jason Kenney should shoulder the blame, but also the health minister in Alberta, Tyler Chandrow.
And I think every single MLA who saw what happened on Wednesday and who doesn't speak out against that heavy-handedness, that authoritarianism, the stuff that we never thought that we would ever see here in Alberta, every one of them that doesn't speak up and lend their voice to the side of freedom on this issue, they shoulder the blame.
Those cops there yesterday, you know, I did end up on the wrong side of a couple of them.
But by and large, they are acting as the enforcement arm of Alberta Health Services.
The health minister, Tyler Chandrow, is in charge of them, and the premier is in charge of him.
And, you know, the trouble starts at the top, and there's only one way to undo it.
And it's those two men who can fix this.
And every other MLA who doesn't speak up, they're part of the problem.
You know, you've touched upon a very interesting issue here, Sheila.
Those MLAs, and we know there are many, do not like what happened on Wednesday when I owed up.
But the question is, do they speak up?
Do they try to orchestrate, I don't know, a palace coup, a la Patrick Brown back in 2018?
Or do they just grumble about it and not say anything and go about their business?
Well, I think it's a win-win here for them if they do speak up.
They speak up and they can sleep at night and they don't have a crisis of conscience.
But also, there's some self-preservation in all of this because the tide is turning very quickly here in Alberta.
Jason Kenney was very popular before the lockdown and even during the pandemic.
He was pretty popular.
He said that he was sort of taking a more North Dakotan approach to the lockdown until all of a sudden he wasn't.
Until pastors were being arrested in Calgary for feeding the homeless, until protesters were being arrested in all parts of the province and issued lockdown tickets.
Until Pastor Coates started serving 35 days in jail, until restaurant owners like Chris Scott at the Whistle Stop were threatened with contempt of court for opening their businesses in an act of economic survival.
That's when the tide started turning.
And now the government has escalated this.
And I thought when Pastor James went to jail and they found a way to strike a deal with a new prosecutor and get him out while he awaited trial, that that would be the end of it.
But now they've escalated it.
And I don't know how the government backs out of this.
I have no idea.
You know, Sheila, I had you on last week, of course, and I thought it was a happy ending to an odious story.
Pastor Coates being incarcerated for some 35 days in a maximum security facility, a terrible one in Edmonton.
And then this happened.
I got to be honest, Sheila, this caught me completely by surprise.
I thought the story was done a week ago, but now, as you said, it's been escalated.
And what is the end game here?
Well, what really is the end game?
This church has had a closure notice on its door since January.
I take a picture of it every time I'm there, every single week, when I walk into a completely full church, whether Pastor James is there or not, whether it's Pastor James or Jake Spence, the associate pastor who stepped up and covered off the congregation and did sermons while Pastor James was in jail, knowing full well that he could end up there too.
That sign has been on the door since January.
It's April.
They haven't had an outbreak at the church since that sign went up.
So why now with the heavy-handed enforcement action?
Why now?
Is it because Pastor James is out or because we went back into lockdown?
But the church has been violating lockdown anyway.
So, what prompted the decision yesterday?
And I think this is one hell of a political loser for Premier Kenny to pursue, Sheila.
I don't see how this gets the majority of the populace of Alberta on board.
Yeah, lock them down, fence them off.
The optics look dreadful.
In a couple of days, it'll be Sunday.
What's going to happen?
This is usually when the congregation comes to take part in church services.
Are they going to come anyway and just worship outside that ugly fence?
Well, that's the thing with this church.
They are, I was going to say they're like Arby's.
You can't keep them down.
That's my ongoing joke.
But, you know, they have such optimism, right?
Even while their fences were being erected around their church, and not just one fence, but two sets of fences, a steel gate checkpoint at the end of the property, and a black tarp being wrapped around the face of the church like a mask.
They remained optimistic.
They said, well, good thing this happened on a Wednesday.
We've got four days to plan for what happens on Sunday.
So they are going to figure something out before Sunday.
I just don't know what that is yet.
Last time I talked to them, nobody knew what it is yet.
But the landowner next door is allowing people onto his property, churchgoers and their supporters, which is something the RCMP didn't take into consideration when they put up those fences.
They thought that they would be keeping everybody right far away on the other side of the road where the journalists normally stand.
But people can get very close to their church now.
And, you know, I don't know what's going to happen on Sunday, but I know something will.
Because even when they locked up Pastor James, the church went on.
And so if the government thinks this is about a building for them, they misunderstand everything that's happening here.
Well, Sheila, I'm sure you're going to be there on Sunday to lend witness to what does happen.
One thing we do know for sure on Sunday that we are not going to see is any kind of violent actions.
And this is what really grinds my gears about what we saw happen on Wednesday.
This is not an ISIS cell.
This is not Hell's Angels.
This is not a mafia clubhouse.
This was a place of worship with peaceful people that just want to go minding their own business.
And for some reason, and I don't know what's in Jason Kenney's head, Sheila, he decided to double down on trying to stamp out this thing.
I don't think it's going to end well for the government, that is.
Yes, but like you say, it's not going to end in violence, at least not from the church, that's for sure.
It's really something to see how this church conducts themselves with such dignity and staying true, unlike Jason Kenney, to their Christian ideals.
They talk to the cops and they say, when this is all over, please come to our church.
You're welcome here.
We pray for you.
We hope that God changes your heart and that you understand that what you're doing here is wrong.
They're so full of forgiveness and kindness, which I think makes it so disgusting how the mainstream media shows up with security guards to keep them safe from these kind-hearted, forgiving Christians.
Today's Protest00:03:02
Yeah, and that's the note I would love to give to Premier Kenney: dignity and staying true to one's ideals.
Remember when you were a cabinet minister in the Harper government and you campaigned for religious freedom?
Wow, another one that has just completely done a 180.
Sheila, wonderful piece, and I look forward to your report on Sunday, my friend.
Thanks, David.
Have a great weekend.
You too.
And that was Sheila Gunread somewhere in the northern hinterland of Alberta.
Keep it here, folks.
more of rebel roundup to come right after this.
But today I'm at a protest, a different kind.
They're going to actually listen to the messages that the mainstream media and our government want them to do.
They're going to obey.
They're going to shut up.
They're going to not express freedom of thought.
They're going to watch TV.
They're going to isolate.
This protest is based on a 1988 movie called They Live.
And it's very creepily related to how we are living today.
take a look at this silent march and I'll meet you afterwards.
It's kind of different.
Yeah, it's pretty surprising.
It's not silent or something.
I agree with it though.
I'm 100% agree with it.
F*** the land.
I mean, it's their lives.
They can feel however they want to feel.
And they can believe whatever they want.
But I personally don't agree with that.
It's none of my business.
All right.
Well, that's the great thing about Canada, right?
Yeah.
Whoa.
Scariest Protest Ever00:08:04
Let me tell you, kids, that has to be the scariest protest to ever run on Monster Chill or Horror Theater.
Did you see those aliens just popping right out at you?
And you didn't even have to be wearing your 3D glasses.
And joining me now from Vancouver to weigh in on this silent protest based on the John Carpenter classic flick, They Live, is Drea Humphrey.
Welcome to Rebel Roundup, Drea.
Hey, everyone.
So, Drea, that was such a clever protest.
But I got to tell you, I'm not sure what was more horrific.
Those protesters who were wearing those alien masks or those young, healthy bystanders on the streets of Vancouver who are wearing those ridiculous face diapers, given that young, healthy people have virtually no risk of dying from the Wuhan virus.
What say you?
I think the latter is definitely more terrifying.
You know, not to mention their age, but also that there's no science behind wearing a mask outdoors.
There's been studies of over 7,000 people, and only two men that had talked together had the virus.
So at that point, is it really an outdoor thing, or was there some other reason for that?
Yeah, and really, I mean, we are going by the stats.
I'm not sure what the stats are in BC.
I know in Ontario, under 20 deaths, it's only two, and both of those individuals tragically had very complicated medical conditions, such as in the case of one, leukemia.
But tell me, Drea, who was behind this protest?
What were they trying to do?
So Sasha, he goes by Alex the Comic, as well as Nikolai.
They were the visual, the visionaries behind it, and they wanted to kind of shake up how protests have been done before.
And I think they have like a creative kind of knack themselves.
And so they have a Telegram group called Social Media, and they pop out different ideas.
And they came up with this concept, which I thought was very effective.
I love that.
I just wish there was more of a critical mask and there was more zombie alien masks as well.
You can tell I'm an unabashed fan of that movie.
I mean, one of the best lines in cinematic history is Rowdy Roddy Piper saying, I'm here to chew bubblegum and kick ass, and I'm all out of bubblegum.
And you know what?
Drea, I got to tell you, I would like to see people and especially business people channel Mr. Piper sentiment and just say, listen, that's it.
I'm done with the lockdowns.
I'm done with being told to lock up shop and slowly go out of business.
I'm done with the BS that we're all in this together when government and bureaucrats, nobody's lost a day's worth of salary there.
What is the mood in Vancouver or British Columbia in terms of people saying, I've had it, I'm ready to go all out Adam Skelly here?
Well, I'm happy to say that it seems like there is some traction in that area.
United, we stand, right?
And a recent protest that's been put out on Rebel is the Save Small Business BC protest.
I almost got teary-eyed because I've been covering the protests out in BC for over the past year now.
And it was all new faces.
And it was close to 2,000 people coming out to support small and medium businesses.
There's been some talk about, you know, them all opening on one day.
And I know there's another group called We Essential that's working on that.
But if you've catched some of our reports, there's been a couple of business owners who said enough is enough.
One is Gusto from, or sorry, Federico from Gusto, A Taste of Italy, and Rebecca Matthews from Corduroy.
So some took a stand.
BC has come down hard on them.
But I don't think that that's a deterrent from what I'm hearing.
But Drea, the only way this works, you're quite right, there's ones and twos across the country opening their doors.
We need hundreds.
We need thousands.
And what I say is that what are the authorities going to do?
Put all these shopkeepers and restaurateurs in jail overnight?
Are they going to fine everybody?
And by the way, if they are fined, well, let's blow our own horn here.
We've got fightthefines.com.
We'll put them in touch with a criminal lawyer and we will crowdfund their legal fees.
Drea, if you are going out of business, what do you have to lose?
You know, I have to think of it as what would I do?
I mean, if you have the belief that you're going to fail, your business is going to be done.
I don't really understand what the point is of complying to that slow death.
But, you know, they've got a lot to consider.
I would definitely open up, but that's me.
And I understand that they've got to weigh all of the odds.
And a lot of people can't take the backlash that you get online as well.
They're used to running a successful restaurant that people love and putting smiles on people's faces.
And then next thing you know, they read the comments and who knows what they're saying about you, right?
So we're used to that as rebels.
Maybe not everybody is.
Well, you know what?
I share your fighting spirit, Dre.
And I fear that if you and I were shopkeepers, we'd probably be at a maximum security facility in Edmonton by Pastor Coates, right?
Unfortunately.
But even that, it's like they go really hard and make a martyr out of someone, but then the church just continues, you know, like during it.
And I'm sure it's not going to deter.
I mean, you can't restrict the gospel being spread.
So we'll see.
Indeed.
And to bring it back to the protest that was formulated by that dynamic duo that came up with the they live theme.
What are they going to do for an encore, Drea?
I would love to see them channel John Carpenter's 1982 masterpiece, The Thing, and maybe have protesters resemble spidery octopus-like creatures marching down Vancouver.
But have they given you any indication about other kinds of creative protests that are headed your way?
Well, they did say I would be a first to know and that they are planning other things.
Other breaking news for Alexander is that he was also in another peaceful protest, a convoy, and doing his jokes out of the window and was completely attacked.
We covered that with the bicycle.
So he did, that was him.
Yes, and you know what, Drea, thank you for reminding me.
Did that thug who came up with his bicycle and smashed his windshield in on his vehicle?
Did it were there any charges that came out of that?
Because that was outrageous.
Right.
So actually, the police recommended charges, but Sasha, I think he's just such a sweet soul.
Last I checked, has not charged, but he is requesting all the details for his case, and he still hasn't done it, but it's still on the table.
So I hope so.
How do you like that, Drea?
Yet another example of the loving, tolerant left in action when it comes to the arena of free speech.
Well, Drea, it was a great video.
By the way, kudos to the cameraman and the way it was edited.
It was downright spooky.
I'm talking monster chiller horror theater here.
Yeah.
Matt did a great job on that.
Oh, 100%.
Matt's doing so much great work for you out there.
So listen, keep us appraised of any of these other creative protests.
They are so enjoyable to watch, and I look forward to viewing more of them in the future.
All right, guys, take care.
Okay, have a great weekend, Drea.
You too.
And that was Drea Humphrey in Vancouver.
Keep it here, folks.
More of Rebel Roundup to come right after this.
Chris Guy's Rights Eradicated00:07:08
Well, folks, as you well know, during the last year and a bit, we've seen all kinds of charter rights trampled on by various politicians, bureaucrats, and chief medical health officers, ostensibly to eradicate the Wuhan virus.
And when you just wonder if we've seen the worst of the worst, then we hear of yet another story of an individual's rights being completely eradicated for no good reason.
And without further ado, I would like to introduce my guest, the notorious Chris Guy, aka the common nuisance in the eyes of the police.
How are you doing, Chris?
Well, I'm not a common nuisance anymore.
I've graduated officially as of this morning.
I'm now a terrorist.
Well, let's be clear: they haven't actually called you a terrorist, but you've, I guess, been put into the same bowl of cherries as terrorists, which is to say you are now on Canada's no-fly list.
That's correct.
And I say terrorists because if you go to the actual government website for Canada's no-fly list, the only reason to be put on the no-fly list is if you are declared a terrorist or if they can reasonably believe that you're going to do terrorist activities.
What of activities was I going to do?
I was supposed to go to Calgary and Edmonton, Alberta, domestic travel, domestic travel, to go to the rallies, to speak about the lockdowns, to speak about the coming vaccine passports that they're going to try to slip down society's throat.
And that's why they declared me a terrorist.
You know, folks, what I find particularly egregious about this, as we uncovered a couple years ago, you would think that, hmm, let's see.
Oh, yes, Omar Cotter, that individual might be on a no-fly list.
He's a convicted and self-confessed murderer and terrorist.
He took the life of a U.S. serviceman and partially blinded another.
And as Ezra Levant, the big boss man here, found out a couple years ago, it looks like Omar Cotter is free to fly the friendly skies.
Here, check out this clip.
Can I have a word?
Can I talk to you for a minute?
If you want.
Can I ask you a couple questions?
How did you get on the plane?
I thought you were on the no-fly list.
See, this is exactly what we figured would happen.
Why don't we go ahead and walk away from the two things that are hurtful?
But aren't you on the no-fly list?
Come on.
Is there security for me or for him?
For filming a person when that's really not an okay thing to do.
So we're training them to the future.
Can I ask it why you won't let the widow have access to some of the money you go?
He's not harassing anybody.
That's a convicted al-Qaeda terrorist right there who just flew on an airplane.
Okay, so what he's doing.
Yeah, so that's how ridiculous is that.
So a man, a man who literally went to another country to be trained to attack our country and then actually killed people, the definition of terrorism, killing people for political purposes, is okay to fly and was actually paid millions of dollars by Justin Trudeau, our government.
Meanwhile, a Canadian citizen with no criminal record and no charges of any kind is put on the no-fly list because he tells Canadians to know their rights, protect their rights, or they will take your rights.
Well, folks, I think we finally hit peak pandemic insanity simply for espousing a politically incorrect train of thought regarding lockdowns and mass.
Chris Guy now finds himself on the no-fly list.
But our very own homegrown al-Qaeda terrorist, a man who killed a U.S. serviceman and partially blinded another, while he's free to jet-set?
Oh, and I'm sure little Omar flies first class.
$10.5 million courtesy of the taxpayer means that this filthy murderer is set for life.
Astonishing.
In any event, you had plenty to say about Chris Guy being put on that no-fly list simply for espousing the wrong kind of thoughts.
PSA writes, rights are temporary privileges.
Rights aren't rights if someone can just take them away.
George Carlin.
Oh, how I missed the intellectual comedic titan.
That was George Carlin.
And that quote really nails it.
You know, I wonder if espousing that kind of thinking would get Mr. Carlin put on Justin Trudeau's no-fly list.
Barb White writes, they are so threatened by aware people and pay attention and ask questions.
They feel threatened by Chris because he educates people on their rights.
Well, that's a great observation, Barb.
The real virus these days is totalitarianism, and people like Chris provide a much-needed tonic to the tyrants.
No wonder he is persona non grata to those in power.
Rose Coward writes, get this information on Tucker Carlson.
This disgrace needs to be broadcast worldwide.
Couldn't agree more, Rose.
I wonder how Americans would feel about a convicted murderer of a U.S. serviceman touching down in the U.S. Meanwhile, a freedom-loving Canadian gets grounded essentially for embracing the First Amendment.
Too bad, alas, the First Amendment isn't part of our Constitution.
Vault Dweller writes, in a time of universal deceit, telling the truth is a revolutionary.
Indeed, Vault Dweller, and in that context, Chris Guy is looked upon as an enemy of the state.
Whereas again, someone who hates this country and democracy and Western values, yeah, looking at you, Omar Cotter.
Well, he gets the jackpot.
Gross.
And Claude Robichaud writes, I never thought that I'd witness a day when our rights and freedoms would be trampled underfoot by the very people that were elected to nurture and protect their constituents.
Yet here we are.
How much more is it going to take to convince everyone that the Trudeau administration are using the coronavirus as a pretense to unravel a sinister agenda?
It's time to wake up and push back against this deception.
Well, my friend, look what Chris Guy received when he pushed back.
Look how Adam Skelly was treated when he pushed back.
Our politicians have become drunk with power thanks to the Wuhan virus.
I think that's the real health crisis here.
Well, that wraps up another edition of Rebel Roundup.
Thanks so much for joining us.
See you next week.
And hey, folks, never forget, without risk, there can be no glory.