Police Arrest Anti-Abortionist at Peaceful Protest
Police have arrested an anti-abortion campaigner at a peaceful protest in Cambridge. The Telegraph has more.
Paul Gardner was protesting when he was stopped by the police and arrested on Nov 1st.
He had been standing in front of two large banners that showed third-trimester babies in and outside the womb and an aborted baby.
The 27 year-old consultant and former Cambridge student was arrested under Section 4A of the Public Order Act after a member of the public complained that they were offended by the images.
Officers took him to Cambridge police station where he was held for about six hours before being released with no further action.
In a subsequent meeting with the police, it was confirmed that no offence had been committed.
The incident comes after the US warned in August that the UK’s decision to enforce buffer zones around abortion clinics put the two countries’ “shared values” at risk.
Earlier this year, the White House intervened to support Livia Tossici-Bolt, a 64 year-old woman in Bournemouth who was convicted for protesting outside a clinic.
Under a national “buffer zones” law passed in October 2024, people now face unlimited fines if they engage in silent prayer or protest within 150 metres of a clinic or hospital providing abortion services.
Mr Gardner said: “I was very surprised when I heard I was under arrest. We were out on the street to inform the public about what most MPs have voted for… It feels absurd that I was arrested in Cambridge for showing what the MP for Cambridge approves.”
He added: “A woman came along and demanded to see some proof that we had a licence or something to demonstrate that we were allowed to be doing what we were doing.
“We have documentation that covers the rights that we have, as well as information from a court case from about a decade ago that demonstrated in court that the things that we’re doing are legal.”
In 2016, Andrew Stephenson and Kathryn Atwood won a High Court case against Sussex Police for wrongful arrest in 2010 after they displayed images of aborted babies in a public square. Sussex Police was ordered to pay £40,000 in damages.
Worth reading in full.
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Let us all pray hard that the moronic Cambridge police also have to pay Mr Gardner at least £40,000 — the amount should, of course, be increased to allow for inflation. Whether one is pro or anti abortion is irrelevant. All that is relevant here is the (now standard) police over-reach and their continuing attempts to suppress Free Speech. JOIN THE FREE SPEECH UNION !
Yes these people are easily ignored, at the end of the day. I ignore the vegans that show horrible animal stuff on the screen that they hold up and I ignore any ‘manic street preachers/god botherers’. You just tune them out and walk on by. Easy enough.
People should loose their jobs when this kind of thing happen.
The only way to prevent these kind of politically-motivated arrests is to punish the arresting officers and those who gave the order for the arrest.
That would be Chief Constable Simon Megicks’ responsibility;
https://www.cambs.police.uk/police-forces/cambridgeshire-constabulary/areas/about-us/about-us/senior-management/
Agree completely.
Personal responsibility for police officers.
What exactly was established at the police station that was not established in the moment of the arrest?
This is bullshit. Intimidation pure and simple.
Perhaps if more people could see images of aborted babies they wouldn’t be quite so comfortable at getting rid of them at the rate of 250,000 (at least) a year. Three cheers for Paul Gardner!
I agree. I had a discussion a few weeks ago with someone who was pro-abortion. I showed him descriptions of the various ‘termination’ procedures and photographs of aborted babies. He was appalled and instantly changed his mind.
Well done. Most people are too thick to change their minds.
The videos showing on murdering a baby should be required viewing in ‘education’.
But today murder is now a ‘right’.
There is no argument against murdering a new born or a 2 yr old.
Slippery slopes etc.
When you get rid of Christianity, you revert back to Baal worship.
Police over reach events are not unusual unfortunately – like this one, reported the other day: https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/cpvdjjy182go It resulted in the victim being killed by an oncoming vehicle, after being attacked by a constable, on the M5.
Is that true, or did you get it from the BBC? Oh, wait…
As things stand, abortion is legal as is carrying a baby to term as is holding an opinion on the ethics of legal behaviour. This police action is baffling.
No, I get it.
They don’t want you to see what it involves and the reality of it.
Because then some people might actually realize what it is: killing a human being.
There are all sorts of euphemisms in place to cover up the reality: reproductive choice, healthcare, planned parenthood, etc.
To put it simply: they know it’s wrong but they want to hide it.
I suppose it could prove lucrative to deliberately set oneself up for unlawful arrest with a view to subsequently making a legal claim. It’s not difficult as in my experience most cops don’t cover all the bases for a legal one, particularly if the offence does not involve violence, and said cops are encouraged by the absence of any personal liability in event they make – or are told to make – a “mistake”.