Judge overturns acquittal of Calgary pastor who disrupted drag queen story hour
Pastor Derek Reimer to face retrial after the Crown successfully appealed not-guilty verdict in high-profile mischief case involving children's library event.
A Calgary judge has overturned the acquittal of street pastor Derek Reimer, ruling that he must stand trial again for charges related to his protest at a drag queen story hour event.
Reimer was originally acquitted after being charged with mischief and causing a disturbance for disrupting a "Reading with Royalty" program at the Seton Public Library back in 2023. The incident ignited national debate over free speech, the use of public spaces, and the limits of lawful protest.
The Crown appealed the not-guilty verdict, arguing that the trial judge had made an error in law.
Prosecutors contended that the judge failed to properly consider several key factors:
- The Crown argued that the first trial judge made an error in law. The July 9th judge agreed.
- The Crown argued that the trial judge did not consider normal and customary use of the Reading with Royalty room. The July 9th judge agreed.
- The Crown argued that the trial judge used Derek's instance of being physically assaulted as a basis for acquittal. The judge on July 9th agreed that this should have been seen as a consequence of the disturbance he created.
- Lastly, the Crown argued that the trial judge failed to evaluate the reactions of the attendees of the Reading with Royalty program. The judge on July 9th agreed.
The Crown asked the court to set aside the acquittal and order a new trial.
The court agreed with the Crown's arguments and granted the appeal, meaning Reimer will face a retrial on the mischief charge.
In this report, we hear from Reimer's lawyer, Andrew MacKenzie, from The Democracy Fund. To help contribute to Derek Reimer's legal defence, you can make a donation at SavePastorDerek.com.
Angelica Toy
Social Media Coordinator
Angelica was taught from a young age to question the mainstream narrative and seek the truth. Guided by her faith and commitment to freedom, she regularly hits the streets of Calgary, Alberta, where she lives and attends university.
Featured Stories
5:11
COMMENTS
-
Jamie Perritt commented 2025-07-15 01:25:31 -0400These appeals by the crown should not be allowed! A verdict should be a verdict. To overturn it is so absolutely immoral, unfair and a complete disregard for the time and money wasted by the defendant !
What a clown circus. -
Glenn Estell commented 2025-07-14 11:49:50 -0400why bother with these articles, if you won’t give the judges names—-nameless judges with lifelong appointments need to be exposed
alberta seperation will need to remove lifelong judges or at least be able to remove these loonies as there is not one conservative judge in canada -
Bernhard Jatzeck commented 2025-07-12 18:58:17 -0400This is Canada, where trials and investigations involving the government are known in advance.
