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POLICE ARREST PRO-ABORT THUG WHO ASSAULTED B.C. PRO-LIFE PICKETER

Crown Council Has Not Yet Approved Charges Say Police

VANCOUVER, March 17, 2003 (LifeSiteNews.com) - Police arrested a large man on Friday March 14, after he physically attacked the leader of Campaign Life Coalition B.C., John Hof. While Hof was picketing outside the fifty meter bubble zone surrounding an abortuary, an unknown assailant approached, looked at the sign Hof was holding pushed the sign, kicked it and punched Hof in the face. Hof told LifeSite that he did not speak to the man prior to the attack. The sign compared the abortion holocaust to the killing of blacks and Jews.

Many bystanders witnessed the attack including a police officer who was observing the scene. Hof, who sustained bruising and a bleeding nose from the attack got up to find the man in handcuffs and was asked by police if he wanted to press charges. He decided to proceed with charges.

LifeSite spoke to several witnesses who corroborated Hof's account of the event. However, LifeSite got a different version of events from the Vancouver City Police Department. Police spokesman Constable Sarah Bloor, told LifeSite that there was a "verbal exchange" followed by a "pushing match" after which the "victim was struck in the face" and incurred a "cut on the lip."

Bloor said she could not release the name of the assailant since he was not yet charged. She explained that the crown council had not approved of charges.

Ted Gerk, of the BC Pro-life Resource Center told LifeSite he was very concerned at the cavalier attitude taken toward assaults of pro-lifers by BC authorities. Gerk recalled the University of BC incident where a pro-abortion student was given nothing more than a slap on the wrist for being caught on video destroying a pro-life display.

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