News

By Hilary White

VIENNA, December 1, 2009 (LifeSiteNews.com) – A film crew for Gloria TV, the Swiss-based Catholic internet video and news service, was attacked on Friday night by a group of abortion demonstrators in Austria's capital.

The abortion demonstrators were filmed outside the Vienna offices of Human Life International chanting anti-Christian slogans like, “If Mary had had an abortion, we would have been spared from Christians.”

Video footage shows a group of young people whose faces were covered with scarves, rushing towards the camera, with one voice audibly screaming in German, “Go away, go away! Stop filming!” One held up a black scarf to try to cover the camera lens.

Police intervened and finally asked the film crew to leave, citing safety concerns. Police admitted to Gloria TV that the violence had come solely from abortion supporters. Despite warnings, Gloria TV journalists refused to leave and were finally stopped when one woman attacked the camera woman and damaged the camera. Police refused to intervene or take information on the attacker.

At the police headquarters later, the journalists filed a complaint and were told that the police officers on duty at the demonstration would have “had a duty” to take down the information about the perpetrator. The attack did damage to camera equipment amounting to over €1000 (about US $1510) and Gloria TV is asking supporters for donations to cover the cost of replacement.

Footage shows one female demonstrator approaching the camera, saying, “F*** off, and complaining to police about the presence of the Catholic film crew. The policeman remonstrated with her saying, “They (the journalists) demonstrate against violence, so they are not violent.”