Pro-life advocates and pro-life Members of Parliament (MP) were allegedly assaulted by pro-abortion activists during the March for Babies in Melbourne, Australia over the weekend.
According to LifeSiteNews, Bryan Kemper, founder of prolife Stand True Ministries, a ministry of Priests for Life, claimed he was thrown to the ground and kicked repeatedly by pro-abortion protestors. Several other members of his team were also reportedly attacked.
Pro-life Victoria MP Bernie Finn also told Australia’s Skynews.com that he was assaulted and egged during the march. An organizer of the march, Finn said he and fellow pro-life MP Andrew Elsbury were assaulted by pro-choice activists who held a counter-protest. Elsbury was reportedly thrown to the ground and stomped on.
“I was belted in the head but I’ve still got the remnants of an egg in my hair,” Finn said. “What we saw today was literally a public mugging on the streets of Melbourne and Victoria Police let it happen. We had people being assaulted, being kicked, being stomped on and they sat back and watched.”
Kemper said when pro-life activists attempted to begin their march, they were blocked by a mob of about 200 pro-abortion advocates.
“So we all sat in protest and started praying,” Kemper said. “Then the police let them start attacking us.”
When pro-lifers attempted to begin their march again, Kemper said abortion activists pushed back, with a stand-off ensuing for over an hour until the pro-life groups decided to change their route.
“As we got to the stage the pro-aborts took over our stage and started stealing banners and signs,” Kemper said. “That is when I was knocked to the ground and kicked and stepped on.”
According to Skynews.com, Victoria Police played down the protests, noting a couple of “scuffles” that stopped once police intervened.
Liz Walsh, an abortion advocate, said her counter-protest was arranged to highlight women’s right to choose.
“There was a scuffle and part of that was standing our ground and not wanting to be intimidated by people who want to shame women for having control over their own reproductive lives,” she said.
Kemper added that the night before the march during his speech to the Youth for Life group, pro-abortion activists burst into the room and began chanting.
“I stopped the talk and cleared a whole table of people and asked them to sit down, have some food and wine and join us,” he wrote on the Stand True Facebook page. “They did. They sat there for about ten minutes listening before getting restless again and they left without incident.”
The annual March for Babies hopes to repeal Australia’s Abortion Law Reform Act, a 2008 law that legalized abortion up until birth.
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