College student cited for assault after punching pro-life activist

May 7, 2019 / 16:38 pm

A college student at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill was arrested for assault after reportedly attacking the staff member of a pro-life group called "Created Equal" during an April 2 demonstration.

A video posted online appears to show the student attacking the staff member after confirming that the graphic images of abortion on display on the campus belonged to his group.

The video was taken by another member of "Created Equal." It appears to show the woman asking the staffer "Did you put these (signs) up?" and punching the staff member multiple times in the face and stomach when he confirms that he did.

Created Equal describes itself as "a national anti-abortion organization that focuses on training students to be pre-born defenders by using a traveling photo exhibit to show as many students as possible what abortion does to preborn children."

The group focuses on college campuses in order to "create debate on campus to influence America's future decision-makers and leaders."

The two members of Created Equal who were present for the UNC incident can be heard on the video saying "Ma'am, don't do that" before calling the police. After the physical assault, the woman appears to yell at the staff member that he is a "(expletive) terrible person," and that the signs are "wrong" and "triggering."

When the police arrived, they confirmed the alleged attack with the young man who filmed the incident. The police said in the video that they were giving the student who threw the punches an arrest by citation for assault, which they said was a misdemeanor.

Mark Harrington, president of Created Equal, said in a statement following the incident that his group will continue to "return hate with love."

"Pro-abortion activists are losing the argument, and instead of seeking debate they are escalating the violence on peaceful preborn defenders on college campuses," he said. "We will never cave to acts of violence or intimidation. We will return hate with love for mothers and their babies."

The UNC incident is the latest in a series of attacks and harassment of pro-life demonstrators in the U.S. and Canada.

On May 2, Pennsylvania lawmaker Brian Sims livestreamed himself harassing an elderly woman who was praying a rosary outside of a Pennsylvania Planned Parenthood.

On March 2 of this year, an 85 year-old pro-life demonstrator was thrown to the ground and kicked outside a Planned Parenthood facility in San Francisco.

In October 2018, a Canadian man was arrested for roundhouse kicking a female pro-life demonstrator at a pro-life rally that took place in Toronto in late September 2018.

In a statement following the UNC incident, Created Equal said it is "currently engaged in several open cases with prosecutors" that include cases of stolen or damaged property of the group or physical assault of its members.