Protesting a library pick-up event was a crime, Crown said

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A city preacher's suspension of reading with royalty at a Calgary library was criminal conduct, a prosecutor said Monday.

But Derek Scott Reimer's lawyer suggested the Crown had failed to prove his client's behavior was anything but “disturbing”.

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Defense attorney Andrew McKenzie argued that Justice Allan Fradsham should acquit Reimer of charges of disorderly conduct and mischief related to the Feb. 25, 2023, incident at the Seton branch of the Calgary Public Library.

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“I have yet to see a case where the nature of this case was enough to be of concern,” Mackenzie said when he found his client's actions criminal.

But according to Crown prosecutor Matt Dalidovich, Reimer interrupted the event when he entered the library room, read a story to the children and started shouting.

According to Dalidowitz, Reimer's reason for attacking the incident was based on his comments as he was leaving, raising it to disorderly conduct and trespassing by interfering with the lawful use of property.

Reimer was walking away when the police arrived, saying, “we're going back to the next location. We will delete these. Three rejection events in eight days. Get used to it Calgary,” Dalidovic said.

“It's important to understand what Mr. Rymer was trying to do with his behavior.”

“We had crying children”: eyewitness testimony

During testimony last September, Robin Gray of the Calgary Public Library, who organized the event at the Seton branch, said Reimer was one of three people who disrupted the program.

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According to him, the behavior of the local pastor was the most disturbing.

Gray told Dalidowitz that the incident began at 11 a.m. with one of the two guests from Calgary Pride singing to the children before they began reading.

“We had about 12 to 15 kids and a total of 40 to 50 people in the room,” he said.

During the first book reading, a woman stood up and said something along the lines of, 'do you know what you're getting your kids into,'” Gray said, adding that the woman began filming the proceedings on her phone.

A group of adult attendees gathered around him, blocking his ability to videotape the incident and forcing him out of the room, Gray said.

After the first reading and during the second chant, a man entered “shouting religious jargon,” she said.

Then a minute or two later, Reimer walked in.

“He started yelling or talking very loudly,” Gray said.

Reimer was finally able to get backstage and near the children.

“We had adults who were shaking. “We had children who were crying,” he said.

Fradsham said he would issue a written ruling on the case at a later date.

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