The group behind the controversial “Genocide Awareness Project”, which compared victims of the Nazi Holocaust to aborted fetuses, arrived in Hamilton with their message on Saturday.
The Canadian Centre for Bio-Ethical Reform’s “EndtheKilling” campaign which shows graphic images of aborted fetuses set up across the city with activist displaying the large photos at major intersection such as King and James Saturday morning.
Two large trucks drove around the city with even larger images displayed to unexpecting drivers and pedestrians along major streets.
It’s been a couple of years since I encountered the group (I covered them during my time reporting at Maclean’s) and the images still shock me. The method – sticking the images in people’s faces without warning – is one I disapprove of. They have the legal right to do it and it is a form of speech that is protected, as it should be.
Do they help their cause, do they change people’s minds about abortion? I doubt it, if I were leaning towards getting involved in the debate, I would not seek to join a group using such methods.
I didn’t see their presence having much impact.
To the credit of Hamiltonians, there was no need for a police presence to protect the protestors as I’ve seen elsewhere. People ignored them. The reason for the graphic images is to drive confrontation and the resulting media coverage.
Absolutely appalling anti-abortion images being driven around downtown Hamilton today. Nothing short of visual terrorism. #HamOnt
— Chris Erl (@ChrisErl) June 23, 2012
Can’t disagree with the sentiment.