NEW YORK (1010 WINS) — The NYPD arrested five abortion rights demonstrators who were picketing an anti-abortion group’s monthly protest on Saturday.
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NYC for Abortion Rights organizes a monthly action to counteract Witness for Life, an anti-abortion group that meets on the first Saturday of each month at the Basilica of St. Patrick’s Old Cathedral to march to a nearby Planned Parenthood and harass patients.
This month, abortion rights demonstrators tried to block Witness for Life members from leaving the church in order to prevent them from marching to the clinic.
Police intervened to clear a path for the anti-abortion protesters — shoving and arresting abortion rights demonstrators in the process.
Protesters sat in the road in an attempt to block the police van from leaving with the arrestees, but police were eventually able to clear the road as well.
The NYPD refused to provide any details on the arrests or specify the number of protesters arrested to 1010 WINS, though the department told Fox News that five demonstrators were detained.
In prior months, abortion rights activists have sometimes been able to prevent the anti-abortion group from leaving the church. At other times Witness for Life made it to Planned Parenthood, and NYC for Abortion Rights counter demonstrated across from them.
During the other instances of this recurring standoff that 1010 WINS has covered, police did not make arrests or attack abortion rights protesters in order allow Witness for Life to march to the clinic and harass patients.
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