Sunday, January 26, 2014

Pro-life witness attracts counter-demo in Oxford



For the third time, a small counter-demonstration has accompanied the monthly pro-life witness in Oxford. This time they managed to gather I think six people. There were about 55 of us, and a few more with the Blessed Sacrament in the church.



The witness has been going since 2007 without any trouble. We pray the Rosary, nearly always led by a priest. The location is outside the Catholic parish church of St Anthony of Padua, by the entrance to the John Radcliffe Hospital. Not by the hospital door - by the road which leads to the hospital. The 'JR' is the only place in Oxford where abortions take place. The witness happens on a Saturday afternoon, when, in fact, no abortions take place.


From a political point of view our 'protest' is purely symbolic. We aren't intimidating anyone on their way into the hospital. It is not a particularly busy road. But we are praying.


And we have the Blessed Sacrament exposed in the church, and have Benediction at the end.

The pro-abortionists are not primarily interested in getting their own message across, but of hiding our placards and stopping us praying, with a music player, a whistle, and by banging a spoon on a tin tea-pot lid. In all this they are almost comically unsuccessful, and I felt rather sorry for the not-very waterproof looking protesters as the rain turned into hail.

8 comments:

  1. Dear Lord! You must be doing something good! You must be pleasing God because the man downstairs doesn't seem happy!

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  2. Vary the times of witness against this public evil. Thank you.

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  3. I would like to come and support your prayerful witness next time. What was evident from your most interesting film, is the peacefulness of the pro-lifers in the face of intimidation from the anti-lifers. As a point of interest, I believe they are breaking the law. Counter protestors are not allowed to confront protestors directly in this way. They could be required, by the police, to stand at a distance e.g. the opposite side of the road to make their erm... point. Which, as you say, they never quite got round to making.

    well done everyone involved.

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    1. Could I just ask - when the cameraman filmed the young women despite her explicit refusal of permission, was he committing a criminal act or would it be a case for a civil court?

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    2. No. There is no law against filming in public. She was trying it on.

      It is funny really since she was taking part in a 'demonstration': she was trying to get people to look at her, you'd have thought.

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    3. I realise it doesn't seem to make sense, but I did notice her refusal.

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    4. As Joseph notes, there is no law about filming in public even without permission. 'Members of the public and the media do not need a permit to film or photograph in public places and police have no power to stop them filming or photographing incidents or police personnel'
      See here: http://content.met.police.uk/Site/photographyadvice

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  4. Joseph, your cameo appearance is just wonderful! My family laughed and laughed! What fantastic comic timing!

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