Street preacher given one year ban from City Hall

A Calgary street preacher known for holding impromptu outdoor services for the homeless outside City Hall is in trouble once again.

Art Pawlowski has been banned for a year from City Hall after he and his supporters were arrested on Tuesday for trespassing when they held a prayer circle in the atrium of the Municipal Building.

He says this is not the first time the city has put in unconstitutional bylaws or laws that prohibit people from exercising their rights and that's why they're challenging it because it is unacceptable.

He adds, he doesn't understand what they're trying to accomplish because all they're doing is just ticking more and more Christian people off.

Pawlowski tells 660News, they are now preparing to take legal action and vow to return next week to pray and exercise their democratic right.

He says the Supreme Court has spoken loud and clear saying if members of the public had no right to distribute leaflets or engage in other expressive activities on government owned property then there would be little or no opportunity to exercise their right to freedom of expression.

He calls the mayor a hypocrite after tolerating Occupy Calgary protestors, and then taking a totally different stance against his gatherings.

Pawlowski has been challenging the constitutionality of the city's bylaws prohibiting the use of loudspeakers during his outdoor preaching however a Court of Queen's Bench judge ruled last year his religious rights weren't being violated.