Police threaten Rebel reporter for recording Islamic prayer outside Montreal church

Alexa Lavoie joins Rebel Roundup hosts Sheila Gunn Reid and David Menzies to discuss the Montreal police's efforts to block her from recording an Islamic prayer outside of the city's Notre-Dame Basilica.

Rebel News reporter Alexa Lavoie was threatened with arrest by Montreal police this weekend. Her alleged crime? Recording a group holding Islamic prayers as part of an anti-Israel demonstration outside of the city's iconic Notre-Dame Basilica.

Somehow, police deemed Alexa as the issue in this incident as they attempted to tell her what is — and is not — a news story in the matter of public interest.

Alexa joined hosts Sheila Gunn Reid and David Menzies on Monday's Rebel Roundup livestream, where she discussed this latest blunder by the Montreal police.

“We didn't go and follow the protest; we just wanted to capture that prayer,” Alexa explained, noting the incident was newsworthy because of the Quebec government considering a ban on public prayers.

While some protesters had no issue with the filming, others began to get aggressive with the Rebel reporter. That's when police got involved, accusing Alexa of disrupting prayers.

“A lot of people want to know what is going on with those public prayers because there is no media who dare to come and record what is happening,” she explained.

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“This is targeted harassment of the journalists who are trying to show the world what's happening,” Sheila remarked, highlighting how this incident is just the latest in the hostile crowd's efforts to intimidate Rebel reporters.

Montreal police, Alexa speculated, are concerned with being labelled racist or Islamophobic by the protesters following a ruling in a class-action lawsuit.

“This is an example of Islamist exceptionalism,” David said of the protesters' decision to hold prayers in front of the historic Montreal church. “They are pushing the envelope. They are saying we dare you to shut us down.”

Would such actions be permitted outside of a Montreal mosque, David wondered. “(Police) wouldn't be in protection mode, they'd be in whack 'em and stack 'em mode if any of the Islamists were to object.”

Demonstrations by Islamists outside of Jewish or Christian places of worship, however, are no issue Alexa said, calling it “a huge double standard.”

Referring to remarks about an upcoming mayoral race in Montreal, Alexa noted an officer suggested the police's inaction could be linked to decisions from city hall. But with all of the candidates holding left-wing views, she has doubts anything will change.

The mainstream media might have backed down from covering the demonstrations after facing aggressive behaviour, “but we will not back down, because it's important to show the truth” Alexa said.

Rebel News refuses to give up — even as censorship grows and our journalists face real-world threats simply for doing their jobs.

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