Montreal
Rioting, Assault (6 incidents), Vandalism (3 incidents) and Destruction of Property (5 incidents)
During the April 19, 1995 Opening Mass of Human Life International's 14th World Conference on Love, Life and the Family, more than 2,000 homosexuals, pro-aborts, anarchists, Satanists and transvestites rioted outside Montreal's Notre Dame Cathedral. They threw eggs, tomatoes, rocks, firecrackers, bottles, sticks and condoms filled with broken glass at the peaceful procession that traveled from the Cathedral to the hotel where the Conference was being conducted (they had liberally spraypainted the hotel with obscene graffiti before the Conference). After HLI's conference-goers were safely inside the hotel, the mob attacked Montreal police, destroyed at least two police vehicles, and smashed many shop windows in the vicinity. Scores of rioters were arrested, and several of the Montreal police were injured in the melee. One Canadian Broadcasting Corporation reporter (who made it clear she was anti-HLI) said that it was as if "the inhabitants of Hell had come up for the day to say 'hello.'" The pro-abortion violence was so graphic, HLI used extensive footage of it in a very successful fundraising video called "Candlelight Conflict," which showed the vivid contrast between the peaceful, Rosary-praying procession and the screaming mob.
References: Louise Surette. "Anti-Abortion Group Worries About Protestors: Montreal Attack Cited." The National Post [Canada], April 6, 1999, page B2. Chris Eby. "Abortion Fighters Can Expect a Rough Reception." The National Post [Canada], April 3, 1999, pages B12 and B14. Michael Cohen. "Again, HLI Must Feel Threat of Violence." Edmonton Sun, March 27, 1999.
Aggravated Assault
Gary Bourgeois' girlfriend was pregnant with his child, and he was not happy with this situation at all. So, in 2000, without telling her, he slipped a toxic ulcer medication into her vagina after having sexual intercourse with her, in an attempt to induce an abortion. When she began to experience cramps and excessive bleeding, she begged him to take her to the hospital, and he initially refused. He later dropped her off at the hospital after she had suffered a miscarriage of her 14-week unborn child.
He had previously urged her to have an abortion, but she had refused, since she did not believe in abortion.
In a recorded telephone conversation with Bourgeois, she said "I'd much rather have the physical scars than the emotional ones. You had to wait until after I'd went to the doctor and heard the baby's heartbeat to do it, didn't you?"
He was charged and sentenced after pleading guilty to aggravated assault, but no charges were filed in the death of the unborn child.
References: Allison Hanes. "Devious Abortion Traumatic, Victim Says: Man Used Drugs to Force Miscarriage." The Montreal Gazette, May 13, 2004, page A8; "No Justice for Unborn Canadian Deliberately Killed Without Mother's Consent." Lifesite Daily News, May 14, 2004.
Assault (2 incidents), Theft, Desecration of a Church and Vandalism
A gang of about 50 pro-abortionists gathered outside Mary Queen of the World Cathedral in Montreal on March 8, 2000 as part of a demonstration put on by the Collectif Autonome Feministe. They began by burning crosses on the steps of the Cathedral. Then about thirty of the screaming pro-aborts forced their way into the Cathedral and littered it with used condoms and soiled sanitary napkins. They also spray-painted anti-life slogans on the altar, turned over and destroyed flowerpots, and generally destroyed anything within their reach.
Sister Rejeanne Poulin, who witnessed the vandalism, said: "They came in yelling things against religion. They said they were claiming the right to abortions and freedom of speech."
The pro-abortionists spray-painted the words "NEITHER GOD NOR MASTER" were spray-painted in foot-high letters on the altar, and on the frame of a 19th-century painting. Outside, they painted another slogan, "RELIGION, A TRAP FOR FOOLS" on a pillar at the front of the cathedral.
Amazingly, a Montreal police spokesman said hate crime charges were not considered because "the elements were not there for charges of that kind." Hate crime charges apply only to spreading of hatred against specific groups but not to people raising issues of public interest and "expressing opinions in good faith." Naturally, if the target had been a synagogue, the Prime Minister of Canada himself would have called for hate crimes charges.
Witnesses said the demonstrators tried to overturn the tabernacle, but two American tourists visiting the cathedral blocked them. "It appeared to be a women's group that was against God, against patriarchy and, above all, against the message of the gospel, which is a message of God," vicar Father Jean-Pierre Couturier said. "They're against freedom of expression. They're professing their truth, but they want everybody else to shut up." The demonstration was organized by local feminist activists who wanted a more radical tone to the International Women's Day, according to a participant.
Yves Forgues, a church employee trying to remove a spray-painted slogan, said demonstrators had thrown women's panties and bras around the church and ripped hymn books. Fr. Couturier said two altar cloths had been taken.
Montreal police arrested seven of the pro-aborts for unlawful assembly, and charged two with assault on police officers and another with obstruction.
Those responsible for the cathedral outrages committed at least five criminal offenses under Canadian law: Disrupting a clergyman in the performance of his duties (s. 176); interrupting persons assembled for religious worship (s. 176 (2)); nuisance (s. 180); mischief to property (s. 430); and theft (s. 322). Yet they were not charged with these offenses, but rather with unlawful assembly (s. 63), a much less serious charge.
The hate crime sections of Canadian law (principally s. 319) make it an offense to communicate statements in a public place inciting hatred against an "identifiable group." However, the Canadian government at all levels apparently does not think that Christians generally, or Roman Catholics specifically, are an "identifiable group," although s.318 (4) defines "identifiable group" as "any section of the public distinguished by ... religion."
Not one US newspaper reported on the incident, although in the same time period, the New York Times ran a story about the controversy in Montreal and all of Quebec over whether Pokemon cards should be issued in French.
It is very interesting to see how the pro-abortionists themselves describe their "action," rather like a street party than as undisguised hate and bigotry;The afternoon had started on a festive note as demonstrators gathered earlier at Phillips Square. The women's action had been called by a local collective that describes itself as "feminist and radical" and opposes both patriarchy and capitalism. The publicity for the support demo, open to men and women, announced a direct action against "a pillar of patriarchy", although the exact site was only known to the collective of women organizers.
A newsletter entitled "The Witches" (Les Sorcieres) was passed out, with one article attacking religion as "misogynist, authoritarian and patriarchal", while another piece provided instructions about how Catholics could get "unbaptized."
Demonstrators proceeded to march the short distance to the site of the action, the large church that forms the headquarters of the Catholic Church in Montreal on Rene-Levesque Boulevard. The protesters, led by women, entered the church, and proceeded to engage in some quick re-decorations. Condoms and maxipads were laid over various statues, idols and photos. In particular, the eyes on a portrait-size photo of Pope John Paul II were covered with a maxipad. The church altar was decorated with condom balloons and a bra, while placards denouncing patriarchy and upholding women's control over their bodies were placed strategically all over the building. Flyers and newsletters were placed in those bibles and hymnals that hadn't been thrown on the ground.
The three people who were actually in the Church to pray were scandalized by the action. Somewhat controversially, some wooden crosses were lit on fire on the steps outside the church before the protest marched away. A few demonstrators pointed out that burning crosses were associated with the anti-black, anti-Semitic and anti-Catholic Ku Klux Klan; it's clear that the demo organizers intended absolutely no such parallel, if they knew about it [Infoshop.org News Kiosk. "Police Brutality Ends Women's Action in Montreal." March 9, 2000].
After the systematic desecration of the Cathedral, pro-abortionists sniveled about being handled roughly by Montreal police. They claimed that they were subdued with pain holds, and that one woman who was holding a camcorder was arrested. Perhaps they were ignorant to the fact that Montreal is largely Catholic, and that Catholic cops might be fed up with their hate and bigotry [This, of course, is no excuse for police violence against pro-aborts, although there is no excuse required for police violence against pro-lifers].
Pro-lifers noted the astounding hypocrisy of these whiners. After all, when American pro-lifers performed rescues at abortion mills, pro-abortionists would laugh and taunt the rescuers as they were being tortured by police (see in particular the description of the "Pittsburgh Nightmare" elsewhere in this database, where the pro-abortionists actually joined with the police in gleefully torturing unresisting pro-lifers).
But let someone twist their tender little arms, let someone apply a little lumber to their soft little heads, and suddenly we are all drowned in an ocean of salty 'pro-choice' crocodile tears.
References: Campbell Clark. "Vandalism a Bid to Silence Church, Montreal Vicar Says: 7 Arrested After Cathedral Defaced, Sanitary Napkins Thrown About." National Post [Canada], March 9, 2000; Editorial. "Where Is the Outrage?" National Post [Canada], March 9, 2000; "Pro-Abortion Mob Vandalizes Catholic Church." LifeSite Daily News at http://www.lifesite.net, March 9, 2000; "Pro-Abortion Mob Vandalizes Catholic Church." Catholic World News Briefs at http://www.cwnews.com, March 10, 2000; Ian Hunter. "Getting Away With Hate Crimes." National Post [Canada], March 14, 2000; and "Media Remains Silent About Cathedral Vandalism: Hate Crime Charges Ruled Out." ZENIT News Agency Daily Dispatch at [email protected], March 16, 2000; Alan Allnutt. "Gazette Blew the Coverage of Church Demo." Montreal Gazette, March 18, 2000; Charles Moore. "Hate Crimes Against Christians Don't Count." The Interim ["Canada's Pro-Life, Pro-Family Newspaper"], April 2000, page 4; Catholic League for Religious and Civil Rights. 2000 Report on Anti-Catholicism, available on-line at the Catholic League's Web site at http://www.catholicleague.org/2000report/summary2000.htm; "Police Brutality Ends Women's Action in Montreal." March 9, 2000, downloaded from the infoshop.org News Kiosk at http://www.infoshop.org/news5/montreal2.html on July 17, 2002.
Assault and Destruction of Property
On October 3, 1999, 100 pro-abortion demonstrators cursed, screamed and threw condoms at pro-lifers participating in a Life Chain. They also stole and destroyed a box of pro-life signs, and pro-lifers did not try to recover the signs because they feared physical attack by the pro-abortionists. One pro-abortionist tore a sign out of a pro-lifer's hands and repeatedly hit him over the head with it.
Reference: "Pro-Abortion Violence at Lifechain in Montreal." LifeSite Daily News at http://www.lifesite.net, October 7, 1999
Sherbrooke
Involuntary Manslaughter
In 1992, 18-year-old Karine Rivard died after an abortion in Sherbrooke. Her father said she'd changed her mind just before the procedure, but the abortionist went ahead and aborted her anyway. Just after the abortion, Karine, who had asthma, began experiencing breathing problems. After she went into cardiac arrest, she was brought to Sherbrooke University Hospital. Five days later, she died. The coroner noted the lack of emergency equipment in the case, and on the need for medical examinations prior to abortions. Karine's death was ruled a "violent accidental death."
Reference: Tony Gosgnach. "Cases Reveal a Path of Destruction Through Women, Children, and Society." The Interim, September 1998.
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