Pro-life students at the University of Manchester in the U.K. were threatened and spat upon as they tried to give a talk last week and ultimately had to be protected by police, according to individuals who witnessed the scene.
The controversy began when a pro-choice crowd of some 250 people gathered outside a building in Manchester where a pro-life group from the university -- Manchester Pro-Life Society -- was set to speak. But the scene soon turned ugly when the crowd began verbally abusing the pro-life students. Eggs were thrown at the building’s windows. Some pro-life students were spat upon. At least one of the pro-life students said she heard threats of rape.
“I really thought our lives were in danger,” said a 22-year-old pregnant woman who is pro-life and attended the event. Fearing for her safety, she was taken home in a police van.
Right to Life UK labeled it a “pro-choice mob.” Upon leaving the event, pro-life students walked through a “tunnel of pro-choicers” who were held back by police, the organization said.
“Some members of the mob pursued them while shouting and swearing at them,” Right to Life UK said.
Pro-life students who attended the event said the situation could have been even worse.
“If it wasn’t for the police and security, people would have definitely been physically hurt,” said a student named Jacob, who didn’t give his last name due to fears of being in danger. “It made me feel intimidated and threatened. I was genuinely afraid that we would get hurt physically.”
Another student, named Rafa, said pro-life students desperately tried to find another way to enter the building.
“We made rounds around the building once to see if there was any other place we could safely enter without hassle, without intimidation. We realized there was not and the only way to enter was through the front of the building, of which there are at least 100 to 150 people,” Rafa said. “At the front of the building, towards the end and towards the middle of the event, there must have been at least very easily 300 people
“Eventually, when we were let in by the police, the police came and pushed people out of the way so we could enter. Some of us came in and some of us didn’t. Some of us stayed outside because the police said ‘we can’t let any more people in. This is just too dangerous’”
Rafa added, “I got spat in the face by a girl who was next to me as I was leaving. I really couldn’t see her face.”
“The police were using force to stop these people because they were being very violent,” Rafa said. “They were being very threatening, both physically and verbally.”
Inge, a first-year student at the university, said the threats surprised her.
“It’s unthinkable that at a university -- where we are meant to discuss and debate important ideas about life and society -- my peers and I have been threatened, spat on, barricaded and wished death upon simply for our peaceful beliefs,” she said. “Some students even said they hoped I would be raped.”
Inge said she joined Manchester Pro-Life Society “because I believe that women deserve better than abortion, and that society can do far more to support both lives in every pregnancy.”
“Our group believes in respecting the dignity, rights and wellbeing of both mum and baby, and would like to explore ideas about how our country can get there,” Inge said. “The fanatical attacks from a mob of ideologically-charged students last night terrified us. The UK government introduced legislation recently to protect our right to free speech on campus. Speaking openly about an important issue shouldn’t cost us our safety.”
Image credit: ©Getty Images/Ricardo Ceppi/Stringer
Michael Foust has covered the intersection of faith and news for 20 years. His stories have appeared in Baptist Press, Christianity Today, The Christian Post, the Leaf-Chronicle, the Toronto Star and the Knoxville News-Sentinel.
