Selective Outrage. Hypocrisy Laid Bare after Belfast "Sticker Arrests"
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There has been a huge public outcry after two women were arrested during a pro-Palestinian protest in Belfast on Saturday, 24th May. In response, further protests at the arrests were held outside Musgrave Street PSNI station.
And rightly so!
Precious Life has, for over 28 years, stood firm in defending the fundamental human rights of freedom of speech and assembly. The right to protest peacefully in any public space is a cornerstone of a democratic society.
The women arrested on Saturday — one in her 50s and another aged 72 — were detained by police outside a bank, allegedly for placing stickers on an ATM. The solicitor for the 72-year-old stated plainly: “She has committed no offence and should not be criminalised for exercising her right to peaceful protest against these ongoing atrocities.”
Patrick Corrigan, Northern Ireland Director of Amnesty International UK, also condemned the arrests. He stressed that protest is "fundamental to our democracy," including "symbolic acts" such as placing a sticker. “When you arrest people for a sticker," he said, "you lose all sense of balance.”
Matthew O’Toole of the SDLP asked bluntly: “What the hell is going on in our society whenever peaceful protest is met with arrest?”
We couldn’t agree more with Mr. Corrigan and Mr. O’Toole. But here's the uncomfortable truth: your words ring hollow when contrasted with your deafening silence in similar cases involving pro-lifers.
Where were these defenders of civil liberties when a mother-of-four and a disabled man in a wheelchair were arrested for praying outside an abortion centre in Coleraine? Or when a 76-year-old retired pastor was arrested for simply preaching a sermon in the same location?
Their hypocrisy is galling.
Amnesty International and the SDLP both gave their full support to the draconian “abortion buffer zones” law that makes it a criminal offence to DO ANYTHING within 100 metres of an abortion centre that “might influence” anyone using the facility.
Placing a pro-life sticker anywhere within the zone is a crime. Holding a sign, offering a leaflet, speaking gently to offer help, even silently praying are all now crimes punishable by fines of up to £2500.
So where is the outrage when pro-lifers are arrested and criminalised for these peaceful acts? Why is one group’s protest celebrated while another’s is silenced?
Precious Life stand unapologetically for everyone’s right to peaceful protest — whether outside a bank or outside an abortion centre. Free speech cannot be selectively defended. If it is not defended for all, it is not defended at all.
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