Tobias Tissen (born 1993 or 1994) is a Canadian pastor who is noted for his repeated failures to comply with COVID-19 public health laws, and for preaching to his congregation to disobey them. He works for the Christian Church of God (Restoration) in

Hanover, Manitoba The Rural Municipality of Hanover is a rural municipality (RM) in southeastern Manitoba, Canada, located southeast of Winnipeg in Division No. 2. It is Manitoba's most populous rural municipality and fourth-most populous municipality overall ...

. In 2022, he was convicted for his repeated breaches of COVID-19 laws and fined.

Early life

Tissen was born on .

Adult life

Tissen works as a pastor at the

plain dress Plain dress is a practice among some religious groups, primarily some Christianity, Christian churches in which people dress in clothes of traditional modest design, sturdy fabric, and conservative cut. It is intended to show acceptance of trad ...

Christian Church of God (Restoration) church in Hanover, Manitoba. During the

COVID-19 pandemic The COVID-19 pandemic (also known as the coronavirus pandemic and COVID pandemic), caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2), began with an disease outbreak, outbreak of COVID-19 in Wuhan, China, in December ...

, he advocated against public health regulations, and was noted for rejecting COVID-19 vaccines and opposing mask mandates. He urged his congregation to reject public health measures on both

civil liberties Civil liberties are guarantees and freedoms that governments commit not to abridge, either by constitution, legislation, or judicial interpretation, without due process. Though the scope of the term differs between countries, civil liberties of ...

and religious grounds. In January 2021, he was issued his third fine related to breaching COVID-19 public health measures. Tissen responded to the police action by comparing the

Royal Canadian Mounted Police The Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP; , GRC) is the Law enforcement in Canada, national police service of Canada. The RCMP is an agency of the Government of Canada; it also provides police services under contract to 11 Provinces and terri ...

with the

Gestapo The (, ), Syllabic abbreviation, abbreviated Gestapo (), was the official secret police of Nazi Germany and in German-occupied Europe. The force was created by Hermann Göring in 1933 by combining the various political police agencies of F ...

. During a May 2021 court case, Tissen told the

Court of Queen's Bench of Manitoba The Court of King's Bench of Manitoba ()—or the Court of Queen’s Bench of Manitoba, depending on the monarch—is the superior court of the Canadian province of Manitoba. The court is divided into two divisions. The Family Division deals wi ...

in Winnipeg that it had no authority over him. At the time, Tissen and leaders of other rural churches were engaged in an unsuccessful legal bid to block provincial COVID-19 legislation, using legal arguments incorporating the

Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms The ''Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms'' (), often simply referred to as the ''Charter'' in Canada, is a bill of rights entrenched in the Constitution of Canada, forming the first part of the '' Constitution Act, 1982''. The ''Char ...

. The churches were represented by the

Justice Centre for Constitutional Freedoms The Justice Centre for Constitutional Freedoms (JCCF) is a Canadian legal advocacy group, advocacy organization specializing in a libertarian approach to the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms. The libertarian organisation has partnered w ...

. In October 2021, Tissen was arrested as a result of his May 2021 activities at an anti-COVID-19-public health rally. Bail conditions prevented him from contacting

Chris Sky Christopher Saccoccia, widely referred to as Chris Sky, is a Canadian Internet celebrity, social media personality known for his involvement in the Anti-masker, anti-mask, Protests over responses to the COVID-19 pandemic, anti-lockdown, COVID-19 ...

and four other people. In December 2021, he was observed wearing a face mask at

Winnipeg James Armstrong Richardson International Airport Winnipeg James Armstrong Richardson International Airport (commonly known as Winnipeg International Airport or Winnipeg Airport) is an international airport located in Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada. It is the seventh busiest airport in Canada ...

, as he boarded a flight to

Puerto Vallarta Puerto Vallarta ( or simply Vallarta) is a Mexican resort city near the Bahía de Banderas on the Pacific coast of the Mexico, Mexican state of Jalisco. Puerto Vallarta is the second largest urban agglomeration in the state after the Guadalajara ...

, Mexico. Tissen said he was attending a religious conference in the country where his church has six congregation members. In August 2022, Tissen was convicted for numerous breaches of COVID-19 public health measures. The court issued him with a $16,492 fine. Tissen arranged a fundraising campaign to encourage his supporters to contribute to the $74,561 of fines that both he and church has accumulated during the pandemic. During 2021, prior to the fundraiser, the church raised $307,538 and spent $249,277 the same year.

References

External links

Tobias Tissen
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{{COVID-19 pandemic in Canada Living people 1990s births Canadian religious leaders People from Eastman Region, Manitoba 21st-century Canadian criminals COVID-19 pandemic in Canada Canadian anti-vaccination activists Activists from Manitoba

Early life

Adult life

See also

References

External links