Officers Threatened to Charge Victims Rather Than Assailant
SUDBURY, ON, September 27, 2001 (LSN.ca) – Rosemary Connell, who heads Show the Truth, spoke to LifeSite today regarding the Sudbury man who attacked the demonstration outside of a high school this past Monday. Connell told LifeSite that the man, who police refuse to name, was captured on video destroying seven pro-life signs after pulling them from the hands of various demonstrators.
Connell notes that police had arrived on the scene while the man was destroying 2 of the signs. When three of the pro-lifers were called in by police for a fact finding meeting, they were interrogated in a hostile manner. “Who are you, why are you here and why are you targeting children?” said one of the officers according to one of the pro-lifers present. Police refused to press charges against the man, despite information given by the demonstrators and actions witnessed by the arresting officers. Police even went so far as to suggest charging the victims with blocking pedestrian traffic.
The police also refused to acknowledge that a total of seven signs were destroyed, since officers at the scene of the crime only returned with three of the destroyed signs. Pro-Life lawyer Blaise MacLean noted that the police are denying the pro-lifers access to the courts by their inaction.
Connell said that the rest of the tour, which began Monday and will conclude Friday, has gone remarkably well. Despite almost constant rain, the demonstrators numbering 30-40 were regularly speaking, discussing and sharing with students. Outside Laurentian University the group stopped and were blessed with a traffic jam which brought with it a massive educational opportunity for the hundreds of motorists.
To express your concerns to the Greater Sudbury Police: 190 Brady St., Sudbury, Ontario, P3E 1C7 Telephone: (705) 675-9171 Fax: (705) 675-8871 [email protected]
See LifeSite’s former coverage: https://www.lifesitenews.com/ldn/2001/sept/010926.html#2