News

SALZBURG, Austria, August 8, 2011 (HLIWorldWatch.org) – The office of Human Life International’s (HLI) European Regional Director Joannes Bucher was recently attacked after a pro-life march in Austria.

The HLI office in Salzburg, Austria suffered seven broken windows, causing thousands of dollars in damage.

HLI’s Austria Director Dietmar Fischer spoke to Gloria.tv about the incident, saying that local media coverage has mostly ignored the attack against HLI, known for promoting pro-life and family values.

“Imagine the howling of the press if it were pro-lifers who smashed the windows of an abortion mill,” said Mr. Fischer.

Mr. Fischer himself is the subject of persecution for his pro-life activism by a judge in Graz, Austria who ruled against him and his colleagues for supposedly “stalking” a known abortionist. He is facing a $10,000 fine or three months in jail for providing pro-life materials to sidewalk counselors in Graz. The case is currently under appeal.

According to Gloria.tv, during a recent “Thousand Cross March” in Salzburg, almost 50 law enforcement officers were necessary to, “protect the life marchers from a violence-prone group of abortion activists, many of whom shielded their identities by wearing black masks.”

The abortion activists carried a banner depicting the HLI logo inside of a condom which read, “Prevent forced reproduction. Abortion on demand for everyone!”

The HLI office was attacked soon after the march, and was witnessed by bystanders.

“The police report affirms that witnesses saw seven offenders dressed in black, wearing masks to hide their identities, and one wearing white hand gloves,” the news report states.

“It is a grave injustice that HLI’s pro-life missionaries are the subject of such attacks around the world simply for spreading the word about the truth of abortion,” said HLI Interim President Monsignor Ignacio Barreiro-Carambula. “We will not allow these acts of violence to intimidate us from spreading God’s word on the dignity of human life.”