BELFAST, February 21, 2005 (LifeSiteNews.com) – Police seized a display board belonging to Precious Life showing pictures of abortion in Belfast city centre on Saturday 19th February, and cautioned members of the pro-life group for showing “offensive material”.
Members of Precious Life had set up the display board and information table as they have been doing every week for the past seven years in Belfast’s Cornmarket at 2.00pm. They spent over an hour distributing leaflets and collecting petition signatures when three police officers arrived. The officer in charge claimed the pictures were “offensive” and the other officers moved in to seize the display board and threw it into the back of a police van. Two members of the pro-life group were cautioned with a view to prosecution for showing “offensive material”.
Bernie Smyth from Precious Life said “Its disgraceful that we can be threatened with prosecution for trying to protect mothers and babies from abortion. These pictures show the reality of abortion. That fact that little babies are being killed is what is truly offensive.
“It seems these pictures are too horrible to look at, but not too horrible to be allowed to happen – 600 times every day in the UK.” Mrs Smyth added, “We are surprised at the action of the police today. We have been setting up our information table and board in Cornmarket for over 7 years and generally we have a good working relationship with the police. In 1999, the police sent a file to the Director of Public Prosecutions regarding our displays but they ruled that it was not illegal and no action could be taken against showing these pictures.”
Bernie Smyth concluded “We will not be deterred by the police action today. We will continue to show the true reality of abortion. We will be out again on Monday showing these pictures on the streets of Belfast. The horror of abortion is the worlds best kept secret and it must be exposed.”