Street preachers to argue their Charter rights were violated at April hearing
Matthew Carapella and Steven Ravbar are charged with mischief
Two London street preachers who have drawn the ire of passersby will argue in April that mischief charges violate their Charter right to equality before the law without discrimination based on religion.
Matthew Carapella and Steven Ravbar were charged with mischief after two men entered a church in April 2019 and began yelling at parishioners.
They have filed a constitutional challenge based on Section 15 of the Charter of Rights and Freedoms, and will argue their case on April 14 and 15.
The Crown wants to present evidence of "prior discreditable conduct" in the proceedings.
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Carapella and Ravbar also face five bylaw charges each under London's nuisance bylaw, which prevents people from unnecessarily interfering with another person's use and enjoyment of a public place "by using abusive or insulting language."
In court on Tuesday, Carapella and Ravbar said they understood how to go about making their Charter arguments and how to compel witnesses to testify.
The Crown said she believes either or both the men will testify in April, but the two men did not comment on their way out of court.