Police had to physically force aside pro-abortion protesters to let parishioners proceed. Several attendees were pushed to the ground.
New York — Catholic parishioners were physically accosted by pro-abortion protesters during the monthly ‘Witness for Life’ procession, a pro-life event held in New York City on Saturday
The event, held at the Basilica of St. Patrick’s Old Cathedral — a 200-year-old church on Mott Street in the downtown neighborhood of Soho — was organized by the Catholic Archdiocese of New York. Around 100 parishioners of the Church marched two blocks to a Planned Parenthood of New York abortion clinic at 9:30 a.m. local time after an indoor mass. They engaged in rosary prayer and sung hymns — including the Lord’s Prayer and Ave Maria — as they walked.
Awaiting them as they exited the Cathedral, however, was a group of over 100 pro-abortion protesters. Organized by ‘New York City for Abortion Rights’ and ‘Democratic Socialists of America,’ the protesters surrounded the entrance — bearing posters and flyers and chanting slogans — and tried to stop the procession from leaving the Church.
As the procession walked forward, it was pushed back by protesters — who also blocked any attempt to walk around them and jeered at the parishioners while they prayed. “Abortion is healthcare; healthcare is a right,” they chanted, among other slogans telling the procession to leave. “Get Up, Get Out, New York Is a Pro-Choice Town,” they said, with one man yelling that the parishioners should have “stayed in their Churches.” At one point, the crowd chanted “Zealots go home.”
A large contingent of New York City Police Department officers were on-scene to protect the parishioners from violence and prevent both groups from fighting. Officers positioned themselves between both groups and walked with the rosary procession towards the clinic. At times, they had to physically force aside pro-abortion protesters to enable procession to the proceed, causing a number of them to fall to the ground. Several parishioners were pushed to the ground by pro-abortion demonstrators. One man, who tried to snatch the procession’s crucifix, was pulled away by police.
This angered the pro-abortion contingent, which began sneering at police and accusing them of racial bias. “Racist cops, rapist priests, no matter what we’ll take the streets,” they chanted, while others were called “fascist” and “woman beaters” — a slur directed at women officers on scene, as well.
In an interview after the procession, Reverend Brian Graebe, one of the organizers, said that the FBI and local police had been reviewing threats to the cathedral in the aftermath of the event — which had included threats to burn down the building.
“It’s the most high-profile pro-life event in the city,” he said. “This is the new normal.”
Last month, pro-abortion protesters had blocked the door to the same church as the parishioners attempted to leave, leading to several being arrested by police.
Protesters also brandished signs critical of the Supreme Court, following the leak of its decision in Dobbs v. Jackson Women’s Health in May that purported to overturn Roe v. Wade, the court’s landmark case legalizing abortion across the U.S. “F*** SCOTUS, We’ll Do It Anyway” read a sign held by many protesters, along with “Abolish the Supreme Court.” Towards the rear of the group were large banners critical of Congress and political parties. “Democrats Seek Women’s Votes but Bury Abortion Rights Bill,” one sign read. Many wore green bandanas, a socialistic symbol from Latin America, as they protested.
Estefania Galviz, an organizer with the Democratic Socialists of America, told National Review that the Dobbs leak was the main reason for their presence. The Supreme Court “doesn’t represent the country,” she said, claiming that it had been captured by “for profit interests” and that groups like hers needed to “fight back” against them. Other protesters called for “free abortion on demand.”
While the procession had been registered with municipal authorities, the pro-abortion protest had not. Over loudspeakers, these protesters were warned by police to leave the area: “If you do not disperse, you will be arrested and charged with disorderly conduct,” they announced, leading several to leave. On-site were ‘Protest Monitors’ from American Civil Liberties Union to provide assistance to pro-abortion activists. Nobody was arrested at the scene.
Father Fidelis Moshcinski, a member of the Franciscan Friars of New York who led the march to the clinic, said that the Dobbs leak had “extremely agitated the pro-abortion forces,” leading to their increased aggressiveness. For his work with ‘Red Rose Rescue’ — an organization that counsels women on alternatives to abortion — Moshcinski claimed that he’d been followed to different states by the same group protesters, who had tracked him down through media reports. However, he said that the persistence of protesters didn’t bother him.
“As long as that abortion clinic is up the street, we will continue,” he said.