By News Reporters
Hundreds of people supporting pro-choice gathered in Bedford Square this evening (30 March) to oppose an anti-abortion group who had organised a prayer vigil outside the British Pregnancy Advisory Service (BPAS) clinic.
The Bloomsbury Pro-Choice Alliance called the demonstration against the American-style 40 Days for Life group who have been holding their own protest outside the BPAS clinic.
Members of the 40 Days for Life Group have been standing outside the door to the clinic and in the square across the road and trying to deter women seeking abortion advice from entering the clinic. It is this tactic that has angered the pro-choice protesters and it is seen by many observers as American-style anti-abortion extremism.
Just before 7pm on Friday evening both groups were roughly equal in size with about 150 in each camp separated by steel barriers which the police had erected to keep them apart. Legal observers from the Legal Defence & Monitoring Group (LDMG) were also in attendance.
However, the ranks of the pro-choice group steadily swelled to more than double the size of the 40 Days for Life group. Extra police were deployed and the officers present gave up trying to keep the north side of Bedford Square open to traffic such were the numbers of pro-choice protesters.
The crowd was briefly swelled to over a thousand people as the monthly Critical Mass cycle ride entered the square. The Critical Mass front riders had deliberately led the ride in support of the pro-choice protest, according to one of the riders.
I counted 800 anti abortion and 500 pro choice. Lying just damages our cause.
Are you sure you didn’t get the two groups mixed up?
I was there, we totally outnumbered the pro lifers, and we did not resort to trying to instigate trouble like they did.
I’m sorry, how did we try to instigate trouble? The pro-abort group was the one that had members entering the pro-life side to cause a reaction. They were swiftly removed by the police, and ignored by the pro-life vigil. We also left peacefully because the police warned us that there was too big a chance of violence against us if we stayed.
I was there. “Pro choicers” were outnumbered and resorted to surrounding those who had gathered to pray, banging on bongo drums and trying generally to make a nuisance. This report is simply a lie.
Ha! You people are so blind, you were massively outnumbered and you infiltrated our side. You don’t think harassing women when they are merely accessing a service and having a minor procedure is not a nuisance? Go away you silly silly people and read your silly fairy stories and stop meddling in other peoples life choices. Don’t like abortion? Don’t have one! Allow others to make their own choices. I believe Jesus hated bullies also.