Union Aborts Pro-Life Protest

“This Union Is Pro-Choice”

A ‘Battle of the Protests’ hit Tyndall Avenue last Friday with UBU officers organising a counter-demonstration against anti-abortion radicals Abort67.

The controversial pro-life group lined the road, used frequently by students, with graphic images of aborted foetuses in an attempt to unsettle passers-by.

As word of the protest spread, members of the UBU Elected Officer team gathered and decided to obstruct the protest and attempt to block the distressing images from view.

Banners were hastily erected to minimise Abort 67’s impact on passers-by

Eager to avoid any trouble, police and security both requested that the protest continue unobstructed. Some witnesses have reported that the Abort67 protesters wore cameras with the intention of prosecuting anybody who attempted to block them.

Undeterred, Education VP Tom Flynn says that calls were made to the Union for bedsheets and banners to help obscure the images. With the help of other students and additional bedsheets, all of Abort67’s offensive posters were able to be covered by a banner declaring ‘This Union Is Pro-Choice’.

Many passing students joined in the counter-demonstration

According to Tom, ‘no trouble flared up, and the demonstrators were decent and courteous on both sides, if you manage to ignore the fact that one side was waving around gratuitous pictures of aborted foetuses’.

Many students have expressed gratitude for the actions of the union officers, who have been keen to stress that they ‘respect the right of those who have a moral objection to abortion to make their case publicly so long as this is done sensitively’.

Student pro-life group Bristol Students For Life have also been critical of Abort67’s actions. In a statement issued last week through The Tab, they openly condemned the radical group, stating that they are ‘keen to distance themselves from the protest’.

Anyone with questions or concerns related to Abort67 or the Union’s response can get in touch with Alessandra Berti, VP for Welfare & Equality at [email protected].