Pro-Abortion Agitators May Have Broken the Law By Disrupting Catholic Mass: Attorney

Pro-abortion agitators disrupted a Catholic Mass Saturday, standing in between the congregation and the altar with a sign reading, “Pro-life? That’s a lie. You don’t care if people die!”

The agitators rushed into Westminster Cathedral at the beginning of a Mass that preceded the March for Life in London.

“Catholics had gathered in church to pray peacefully and attend Mass for the protection of life in the UK. Their prayers were then disrupted by members of the Feminist Strike Coalition,” Jeremiah Igunnubole, legal counsel at Alliance Defending Freedom, told the Daily Signal in a statement on the incident. “The protest inside Westminster Cathedral ahead of March for Life is a troubling illustration of a church in which both the sanctity of life and the rule of law are too often disregarded.”

The Dyke Project posted videos of the disruption on Instagram, writing that “members of the Feminist Strike Coalition disrupted an anti-abortion service at Westminster Cathedral hosting the far right group March for Life.”

The agitators asked attendees to pray for “those who have been incarcerated protecting their bodily autonomy,” and for those who have been “intimidated by the church.”

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Sources told the Daily Signal that the cathedral’s security handled the issue before the march. The videos show security escorting agitators out of the building. The Archdiocese of Westminster did not respond to the Daily Signal’s request for comment about the disruption.

Church Disturbance ‘Ironic’

Isabel Vaughan-Spruce, co-director of the March for Life, told the Daily Signal that she found the church disturbance “ironic.”

“As someone who has been arrested multiple times for silent prayer on a public street and been told by those who support abortion to go and pray in your church, it seems ironic that when we pray in our churches we are still not left in peace,” she said.

Vaughan-Spruce emphasized that thousands attended the Mass, which was “standing room only,” and involved 15 bishops.

“A few protesters began shouting at the start of Mass, but they were very quickly removed,” Vaughan-Spruce noted. “Afterwards, I spoke to one of the bishops who made an interesting observation: while the protesters may not understand the truth about the dignity of human life, they do seem to understand where the heart of their adversaries lies – in the Catholic Church and, particularly, in the Eucharist.”

Legal Ramifications?

Igunnubole, the ADF attorney who previously served in Britain’s Crown Prosecution Service, suggested the agitators may have broken the law.

“The conduct reported at Westminster Cathedral may violate long-established legislation: Section 2 of the Ecclesiastical Courts Jurisdiction Act 1860 creates an offense of riotous, violent, or indecent behavior in churches,” he said. “The protesters may also have breached public order legislation.”

The Victorian-era law Igunnubole mentioned prohibits “riotous, violent, or indecent behavior” in churches.

The attorney condemned the British justice system for failing to vindicate the rights of pro-lifers.

“Across the UK, those holding pro-life beliefs have too often become accustomed to being victims of criminality with impunity for offenders,” Igunnubole said. “We have repeatedly seen pro-life volunteers assaulted, abused, or subjected to criminal damage simply for praying or offering help near abortion facilities.”

“When such incidents are reported, investigations are too often slow, cursory, and dismissive,” he added. “That stands in stark contrast to the speed with which ADF clients have been apprehended for silent prayer or offering consensual conversation.”

A Growing Pro-Life Movement

Vaughan-Spruce, the March for Life leader, said she saw more “visible” opposition than in previous years of the march, yet she interpreted opposition as a sign that “abortion is becoming more of a live public issue.”

“For too long there’s been an extraordinary complacency surrounding abortion in Britain,” she argued. Yet now, “people are finding it culturally acceptable—indeed necessary—to voice concerns about abortion.”

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