Pro-life students at England’s University of Manchester were threatened, spat at and ultimately had to be protected by police as they tried to give a speech last week, according to people who witnessed the incident. .
The controversy began when a crowd of about 250 pro-choice people gathered outside the Manchester building where the university’s pro-life group, the Manchester Pro-Life Association, was scheduled to speak. However, the scene quickly turned ugly when the crowd began verbally abusing the pro-life students. Eggs were thrown into the windows of buildings. Some pro-life students were spat at. At least one pro-life student said she had heard rape threats.
“I really thought our lives were in danger,” said a 22-year-old pregnant pro-life activist who attended the event. Fearing for her safety, she was taken to her home in a police van.
Right to Life UK has dubbed this the “pro-choice mob”. The group said the pro-life students walked through a “pro-life tunnel” where they were stopped by police as they left the event.
“Some members of the mob chased them, shouting and cursing,” Right to Life UK said.
Pro-life students who attended the event said the situation could have been much worse.
“If it wasn’t for the police and security, people definitely would have been physically hurt,” said a student named Jacob. He declined to give his last name for fear of putting the name Jacob at risk. “It made me feel scared and threatened. I was really scared that I would get physically hurt.”
Another student named Rafa said the pro-life students desperately tried to find another way to enter the building.
“We circled around the building once to see if there was anywhere else we could safely enter without hassle or intimidation. I realized I had no choice but to enter through the front of the building,” Rafa said. “There must have been at least 300 people in front of the building, toward the end of the event, and toward the middle.”
“Eventually, when we were let in by the police, they came and pushed people away so we could get in. Some of us got in; Some of us didn’t go in. Some of us stayed outside because the police said, ‘We can’t let any more people in. This is too dangerous.’
Rafa added, “When I was leaving, the girl next to me spat in my face. I couldn’t really see her face.”
“They were so violent that the police used force to try to stop them,” Rafa said. “They were very threatening, both physically and verbally.”
Inge, a first-year student at the university, said she was surprised by the threat.
“At a university where important ideas about life and society are supposed to be discussed and debated, I and my colleagues have been threatened, spat on, barricaded, and threatened with death simply because of our peaceful beliefs. I can’t imagine being wanted,” she said. . “Some students even said they hoped I would be raped.”
Inge said she joined the Manchester Pro-Life Association. She said, “Because I believe that women have a right better than abortion, and that society can do more to support both lives in every pregnancy.”
“Our group believes in respecting the dignity, rights and well-being of both mothers and babies, and we want to explore ideas about how our country can get there,” Inge said. said. “Last night’s fanatical attack by an ideologically charged group of students horrified us. The UK government has recently introduced legislation to protect the right to free speech on campus. Important Speaking up about issues should not come at the expense of our safety.”
Image credit: ©Getty Images/Ricardo Ceppi/Stringer
Michael Faust has covered the intersection of faith and news for 20 years. His story was published in Baptist Press. Christianity Today, Christian Poecent, of leaf chronicle, of toronto star and of knoxville news sentinel.
