Unshaken by Hate: Standing Strong for Innocent Lives amid Violence and Provocation
Pro-life students took to Utrecht last Saturday. At the Netherlands' busiest railway station, we conducted street campaigning to proclaim the God-given and therefore sacred right to life. The group of 12 settled amid the stream of day-trippers.
‘Success, we pray for the conversion of Europe!’
The catholic volunteers unfurled their banners and raised their signature red and gold standard proclaiming the principles of Christian civilisation: Tradition, Family, Private Property! The audience was deeply impressed. People recorded the scene with their phones, while others clapped and gave thumbs up. One couple walked up to us and said, ‘’Success, we are praying for the conversion of Europe!" Others, however, saw the pro-life banner and immediately expressed their displeasure.
Read also: TFP Caravan warns: “With Abortion, Europe will fade Away!”
‘Christ is King!’
As we distributed our pro-life leaflets to the crowd, several got into a debate. A group of 3 women made a protest sign on the spot with ‘losers’ on it and started shouting ‘My body my choice’. One woman who was praying by it could not resist responding with: ‘Christ is king!’
The volunteers calmly explain the pro-life position even when they find angry people facing them.
‘She spat on the baby'
As encouraging slogans echoed across the square, the faction of leftist-emotional students grew in number and anger. A volunteer recalls, ‘One snatched a flyer out of my hand and spat at the baby. She laughed, folded the manifesto and stomped it on the ground.’ Then a young man stormed towards a volunteer and tried to rip off his cape. The perpetrator, who was masked, failed and disappeared into the crowd that was growing larger and larger.
Police teach a Lesson
So far, the volunteers were able to keep their backs straight in the face of vulgarity, noise and physical threats. Antifas joined the protest against our street campaign. One of them tried to steal our megaphone and flyers. This earned him arrest by the police.
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Antifas do not dare to debate. They immediately resort to violence.
Openness to debate
In such a street campaign, thousands of things happen. However, for someone walking by, there are certain aspects that invariably recur. For instance, exchanges of ideas take place and are heard by bystanders listening in. Strongly worded slogans and well-articulated arguments deal rakish blows to the ‘consensus’ that abortion is here to stay and should be safe.
The Importance of Symbolism
There is also an often overlooked mode of communication: posture and symbolism. For example, the Church Doctor St Thomas Aquinas teaches that knowledge is based on the experience of the sensory world, but this knowledge is abstracted into concepts by the intellect. Thus, a melodic and harmonious slogan can penetrate deeper than a cacophonous repetition of ‘my body my choice’.
Are you not afraid to defend your principles publicly?
Fighting in the Example of Joan of Arc
In this fight for spiritual purposes, we always keep focused on the source of our will to fight. It is an honour and privilege to stand up for God and the reality and authority of His Commandments. As a result, we can be radical as long as we act out of love for Him. This combativeness gives us the strength to stand firm in the good despite fear or opposition. It means that like saint Joan of Arc, we find courage in our calling to do God's will.