Calgary, October 18, 2022
All Saints Russian Orthodox Church, Calgary. Photo: allsaintsroc.org
A Calgary man has been charged with multiple counts of criminal harassment against the local Russian Orthodox parish.
Fr. Dmityr Grigoriev, the priest of All Saints Russian Orthodox Church, says he received several calls last Tuesday with threats against his parishioners, reports CTV News.
“He said are there going to be any Russians there? I said yes, although we have 15 nationalities in our parish,” Fr. Dmitry said. “He said, ‘I don’t care. Are there going to be any Russians?’ I said yes. He said, ‘You’re all going to be dead.’”
CTV News notes that Fr. Dmitry and about 30% of his parishioner are actually Ukrainians. “We’re not supporting the war. War is a tragedy for everyone and innocent people get killed and the best weapon to stop the war is prayer,” the priest commented.
After the multiple threats were reported, police arrested 36-year-old Christopher Duchaine of Calgary, who has been charged with five counts of criminal harassment, all deemed hate-motivated crimes.
“We don’t tolerate hate crime in Calgary,” said Constable Matt Messenger of the Calgary Police Service Hate Crime and Extremism Team. “It’s not acceptable. We won’t tolerate people being victimized based on who they are as a person.”
The same church was vandalized back in February, when someone threw red paint on the door and steps.
Meanwhile, Fr. Dmitry invites anyone who has questions about his congregation or the war to come and talk. “We can find the common ground and we can explain and share opinions right? We’re humans, not animals.”
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