Pro-life vigil disrupted by protesters shouting abuse
The March for Life event in Birmingham this year was disrupted by protesters shouting slogans such as “religious scum”.
The pro-life vigil which took place earlier this month was led by Archbishop Bernard Longley of Birmingham as well as abortion survivor Gianna Jessen and speaker Obianuju Ekeocha.
According to the Sensible Bond blog, the vigil was met by about 50 pro-abortion protesters in Chamberlain Square.
The Sensible Bond said: “We had happened on a pro-choice protest just lying in wait to pounce upon the pro-lifers when they arrived. The funny thing was that as the pro-life march wound its way into the square, it did so with not really much regard for the pro-choice element who then spent the next hour or more trying to spoil proceedings. They were deftly ignored, although it must be said that, from where I was standing, nobody could hear a word of the pro-life speakers. The pro-choicers were held back by police, apart from one agitator who finally made an unsuccessful grab for the pro-life microphone, before being led away by a probably bored constable looking for something to do.
“It was a very pleasant afternoon of sun in Birmingham. The mood was always lighthearted, in spite of the angry protesters who chanted things like ‘Keep your rosaries off our ovaries’ and ‘Not the Church/ Not the State/ Women should decide their fate.’ To these mellifluous snatches, they added well-articulated criticisms like ‘religious scum’, screamed at the passing lines of mothers with babies and habits of various hues (Franciscan, Dominican and secular). Yes, all things considered, a highly reasoned, subtle and incisive contribution to rational discussion. Funny how convention would determine that it was the pro-choicers representing the voice of reason.”
Miss Ekeocha told the Catholic Herald: “As a woman born and raised in an African country where the law recognises the right to life of the unborn from conception, one of the most difficult and disappointing realities for me when I moved to the UK is that there is no real legal protection for the unborn.
“In a world where the protection of vulnerable people is taken so seriously and human rights are placed on a pedestal, abortion stands out as a deep festering wound on the heart of the western world. And this has happened before, with slavery, there was the denial, the injustice, the unthinkable abuse and the conspiracy of silence surrounding it.
“I believe that slavery was a scourge on the soul of this nation and that is an even bigger scourge with millions of innocent unborn babies already killed before they could ever see the light of day.
“This is why I was willing to speak at the March for Life UK to appeal to whoever would listen because if legal abortion is abolished in this country, it will have a local impact to save babies lives, but it will also have major global impact where the developing countries are more encouraged to continue on the path of real justice of protecting every life from conception till natural death. I pray for a world that fully embraces justice. I pray for a world without abortion.”
