Confronting the Anti-Abortionists in Atlanta
January 23, 2015 | Revolution Newspaper | revcom.us
From reader:
January 22, 2015: The Revolution Club Atlanta and Revolution Books initiated a counter-protest to the anti-abortion/anti-women rally called March for “Life” in Atlanta. Statements promoting a woman’s right to abortion, gender equality, cessation of patriarchy, and the deconstruction of the “pro-life” argument were made through loud chants, bright neon banners, and “blood-stained” white suits.
Shortly after arriving at the Capitol's Liberty Plaza, where the anti-abortion rally was held, we were told by the police to move to the designated, and very secluded, counter-protest area. Despite their attempts to make our demonstration nearly invisible to the public, we were able to relocate and be seen and heard at a fairly busy intersection. There we chanted loudly, bringing us lots of attention, and engaged with both anti-abortion and pro-choice passersby. Each was encouraged to think critically not only about the rights to abortion, but about all of the other ways women are treated as less than human and exploited in this patriarchal society.
As the anti-abortion silent march kicked off, we readied our banners (Abortion On Demand and Without Apology and Forced Motherhood is Female Enslavement) and posters and shouted our chants passionately. “Pro-Life your name’s a lie, you don’t care if women die,” “A fetus is not a baby until it comes out, that’s what birthdays are all about,” “Not the church, not the state, women will decide their fate,” along with others. The anti-abortion march was led by the one and only keynote speaker, “Molotov” Mitchell, a self-proclaimed “Christian Supremacist” who wants his co-religionists to shove aside “effeminized American Christianity” and start “advancing the Kingdom on earth.” Once in close proximity, we marched alongside them and ensured our messages were heard by all. An opportunity to march in the street in front of their march presented itself, so we took it, stretched out our banners, and held our ground for several blocks. Our voices echoed and permeated the air as we marched through the Georgia State University campus. We kept the energy high until the very end.
It is important that the side standing against female enslavement be present so the public knows that this fight isn’t over. Today we made that presence known, and hopefully, in doing so, were able to inspire others to join this fight.
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