Caroline Simons addresses crowd at 'Vigil 4 Life'

Foetal Attraction at the Dáil

In Blog, Culture, Politicsby Fedayn27 Comments

 

Caroline Simons addresses crowd at 'Vigil 4 Life'

Caroline Simons addresses crowd at ‘Vigil 4 Life’

rabble is down at the Dáil for yet another protest. This time there’s a fierce whack of incense and baby powder. Thousands have turned up for a Life Institute organised rally complete with large mobile screens carrying Youth Defence videos.

Your reporter would like to note that I have never been challenged so often at any demonstration as this evening as to whom I ‘represent’, which paper, and do I know the truth about the story. While being herded around the big screens carrying a Youth Defence video, so organisers could move the two ranks of young people to the front of the demo, an elderly woman followed me insisting that the Savita case was ‘being manipulated’. I replied ‘I can see that’.

People kept insisting that I take photographs of the young people, it was almost a mantra that rose above the hymns being sung by the crowd as they were getting ready for the second coming, or whatever it was the buzz was all about.

There was a lengthy dispute at the gate of the Dáil as one man held a sign declaring ‘RTE IS ANTI- CATHOLIC’. Organisers tried to manhandle him at first but then as they argued another tack was used whereby they pulled children from the crowd to stand in front of the man. It seems this sign was not fitting with the PR agenda of the organisers. While Eamon O’Cuiv looked on the gentleman was hidden from the press but only after we had already snapped the sign. One female organiser was overheard saying to a colleague ‘We have to get rid of him’.

Caroline Simons (formerly of Libertas, google that for some incredible stories) a leading pro-life campaigner, addressed the large crowd around 5pm. Repeating some of the rhetoric we have heard in recent weeks – she insisted that abortion never saves a mother’s life and has only ever one purpose, the death of the baby.

As we write the crowd is joining in a call-and-reply of ‘Abortion. No. Abortion. No’.

Estimates of 3,000-4,000 crowd seem probable although refuted with authority here. More photos here ; and another analysis via Andrew Flood of WSM here

Video of the children being pulled in to block a sign ‘RTE IS ANTI CATHOLIC’

Comments

  1. No counter demo, hard to estimate numbers but the crowd went 3/4s way down molesworth st, split by a mobile video screen so passersby might assume it was much smaller

  2. Shall I send down some of the lads from last nights riots in belfast to mix it up a bit.

  3. George hook had to announce live on air that there was a prolife protest going on outside the dail, just so people avoid the traffic queues in the city, yeah right.

  4. why are Anti-choice protesters so obsessed with plastic babies.

  5. Pingback: Humiliating Turnout for Youth Defence in Belfast. : www.rabble.ie

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