Defending Sin as a Right? Where the Abortion Mob Errs
Last week our group of catholic volunteers campaigned in the Netherlands, spreading the pro-life message of moral restoration. Intimidation, violence and blasphemy were the weapons of choice of those who claim the 'right' to murder the unborn.
9 Reasons to defend the Unborn
On Monday, March 9th we set off to Den Hague to publicly proclaim the grave injustices in a country where more than 40,000 abortions take place every year. A sequence of slogans and bagpipe and drum music filled the square and reminded politicians, students and other passersby that a counter-offensive is advancing in Europe to stop abortion legislation.
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The women who defend abortion want to drive us away, this time with a fake gun.
During the day we held a lot of debates with liberal-minded people who had no solid arguments to explain their position. Later on, radical feminists gathered in an attempt to create opposition. Besides vulgar gestures and outdated slogans, an immorally dressed activist assaulted us with a water gun.
The counter-demonstration had no issue standing alongside blasphemous satanists.
Satanists in Broad Daylight
Our next manifestation took place in the historic city of Leiden (Holland), our position next to the train station received a constant stream of students who gladly accepted our manifesto. It didn't take long for the abortion side to appear. Antifa members, supported by liberals, socialists, and satanists placed themselves in front and beside us. Suddenly, someone began playing death metal music on a loudspeaker right next to our banner. When they were told to back-off, screeches from the underworld came out of the mouths of the reprobates.
The campaign created a lasting mark in the debates on campus and digital platforms. The side that clearly crossed boundaries was defending the sin of abortion. One example was a Reddit user who said: "I was there myself. Those activists had been given permission by the mayor. So, strictly speaking, they're not doing anything wrong; It just goes against certain moral principles. The people who went to protest WITHOUT a permit had to be 'reined in"(source).
A young volunteer explains why abortion is an intrinsic evil.
Gratitude among the Population
After the confrontation on the first day, we made an act of confidence in Our Lady to supply us with special graces to defend the moral law against those who offend God. In Utrecht we visited a campus that is known for its hostility to open debate.
Read also: We don't back down for Leftist Bullies
More than a dozen students came up to us to compliment us on our efforts and to ask us never to give up. One staff member of the university whose identity he asked to remain anonymous, shed tears of gratitude in a conversation he held with a TFP member and promised to pray for us.
There was not a single argument to be found from the 'pro-choice' movement.
"Thank God for Abortion"
After a heated debate with an apostate catholic feminist, a small crowd of students started forming. Clearly in dismay, the woman in question ran inside and started to print sheets of paper and disseminated them among the group that shouted 'baas in eigen buik' (boss over own body). In response we repeated 'abortus is moord in eigen buik' (abortion is murder in your own womb).
One of the techniques to improve the pro-life movement is to articulate what the godless abortion movement really wants to legalise. We need to point out that abortion is murder of an innocent human.
To our surprise, an activist organisation was already present at our next campaign: the police had leaked the information of our legal demonstration permit. Since the beginning they tried to disturb and silence us. One female officer who stood close to us was heard saying to a shouting feminist: "you can come closer".
A significant portion of students and other travellers was very open for arguments in favour of defending unborn human life.
"I'm pro-life. My Daughter is a Miracle"
We continued to the city of Arnhem, where the rain made way for piercing sun. We unrolled our banner and started with a prayer to continue the fight for the unborn. Already in the beginning, a man walked up to us and thank us for our efforts. He and his wife had waited years for a child. With a bright face he shared his gratitude for the life of his newborn daughter.
"Charlie Kirk? You're Next!"
Then a group of students walked up to us, again with death metal music. A nearby police officer told them that they could only stand at a distance from us to counter-demonstrate. They stood with several soundboxes, microphones and a handful of protest signs. Several of them covered their faces to hide their identity.
One of our volunteers who was spreading leaflets ask them what they thought of the limitations of free speech and what happened to Charlie Kirk last year. A counter demonstrator told him, with a stone cold face: "Charlie Kirk? You're next!"
Conveying the truth in a calm and determined manner touches people.
Are Universities Still Centres of Debate?
The next day, the caravan drove to the south, entering the city of Eindhoven. The TFP’s standard was raised at the Technical University of Eindhoven and many students on their way to class looked on with interest. Debates and conversations started to fill the square. Students in a hurrying to class took the flyer with 9 reasons to reject abortion and showed support by giving a literal 'thumbs up'.
Some angry students who had lost debates approached our banner which says 'Pray and Act to End the Sin of Abortion' and started to cover it with their jackets. We kept on proclaiming slogans until more intolerant students surrounded the pro-life banner and pushing and pulling it.
At a certain moment it was clear that the mob was ready to use violence and thus we informed the police of the disturbance to our announced demonstration.
Warm Reception in Flandres
Later, we went to the Dutch speaking part of Belgium, where abortion is on the political agenda. Again, we went to Ghent to give pushback against the LGBT and abortion lobby. Large numbers of leaflets were distributed to students, tourists and Catholics coming from Mass. A catholic student went up to a volunteer. She had just come from a nearby church and was attracted by the bagpipe music. She expressed her happiness upon seeing the pro-life message being spread with catholic arguments. In our pleasant conversation we mentioned how many people are confused and live terrible lives because they don't have Faith.
A litany of left-wing activist groups lined up against the Catholic pro-life campaigners.
Some time later, ‘trans and queer solidarity’ and feminist activists sprang into action. Two women started skipping around on the square with rainbow flags wrapped around their necks, creating a stark contrast between the young TFP members with the dreaded stashes and the indecent mob. A group of Flemish students pointed out how a scantily clad woman who was on drugs makes a mockery of herself and of womanhood.
Later that afternoon we continued to Antwerp. We began in front of the Opera and then moved to a crowded pedestrian path. The slogans echoed along the entire boulevard, reaching many ears and sparking a lot of interest. In the middle of our campaign we had to quickly restock on leaflets to hand out.
Learn how to defend Moral Values in Public
More Volunteers in Action
On the last day of our caravan, more European students arrived to participate in the Caravan. With a group of seventeen volunteers, we campaigned in the city of Leuven, in front of the ancient city hall. For three hours straight, we handed out hundreds of flyers and had interesting conversations.
One of our group recalls speaking to an American family of three: father, mother and a teenage girl. After the volunteer explained our mission, the family became enthused meeting Catholics who want to reconquer society and spread the Catholic Faith. The daughter wanted to make a video of the bagpiper and share it with her friends, many of whom have converted recently.
Culture of Death on its Last Legs
Finally, we arrived at our last stop: Maastricht. Worldwide it's known for its rich catholic heritage, but we found many lukewarm souls who didn’t seem to care about the thousands of babies that never see the light of day, and even worse, are never baptised.
After spreading out on the Vrijthof square, we met disheartened activists, whom we had encountered earlier this week in other parts of the country. An older woman in their group approached us and started cursing. She made death threats and personal insults. One of us pointed out how her pro-abortion movement is destined to fail and die out. Indeed, the wave of the 'Sixties Sexual Revolution' did wash over the shores of the West, leaving young people abandoned and rootless. But there are several signs of hope on the horizon. For example, we spoke to a young French married couple. They extensively described their road of conversion out of the modern world and back in the bosom of our Holy Mother Church.
Down With Satan, We Want God!
After this action-filled week we leave behind much more than just media-coverage and internal debates among students on university campuses. We show that it's possible to pray and act. Catholics and people of good will have an essential choice to make: sleep on the sidelines of history or join the ranks that resist. It’s under the standard of TFP that we proclaim: “down with Satan, we want God!”