Br. Anthony Marie MICM // Used with permission
CV NEWS FEED // Seventeen people were arrested on Saturday after pro-abortion counter-protesters aggressively blocked and harassed participants in the Men’s March to Abolish Abortion in Boston.
The November 16 march, which started outside Planned Parenthood and concluded at Boston Common, was organized to advocate for the protection of unborn children. The event attracted almost 500 participants, according to the American Society for the Defense of Tradition, Family, and Property (TFP).
Steven Rust, a resident of West Brookfield, Massachusetts, who attended the march, told CatholicVote that the counter-protesters disrupted the event by shouting and playing instruments. They also stole the bullhorn being used to lead the men in praying the Rosary.
The pro-abortion crowd seized the marchers’ signs and hurled water balloons, bottles, and other objects at the pro-life group, which included boys as young as 8 years old. The pro-abortion advocates maintained a stream of abusive remarks throughout the event.
“There was constant vile, hateful, abusive speech directed at [us],” Rust said.
The counter-protesters, some dressed as clowns and carrying signs with offensive and explicit messages, intercepted the permitted march in Kenmore Square, blocking its route to the Boston Common for almost an hour, according to TFP.
Police were called to the scene, and arrests followed when the crowd refused to disperse, Boston.com news reported. According to the police report, the counter-protesters’ actions had escalated to assaultive behavior, furthering the disorder.
The 17 individuals arrested, aged 18 to 52 and from Massachusetts, Maine, Rhode Island, and Vermont, were charged with disorderly conduct, unlawful assembly, or both.
The Men’s March was the first large-scale pro-life demonstration in Boston since President Donald Trump was elected for a second term. According to Rust, counter-protests in previous years were far less aggressive and abusive.
Most of those arrested were given the option to have charges dropped in exchange for completing 40 hours of community service, according to Boston.com. Among those offered this option was Jared Dowell, a “transgender woman” who goes by the name Riley and is the son of Rep. Katherine Clark (D-Mass.). Dowell was arraigned on November 18 on charges of disorderly conduct and interfering with a lawful assembly, local Boston news reported.
Dowell was also arrested in January 2023 for spray-painting a historic monument in Boston Common during a protest and for assaulting a police officer during his arrest. The charges were dropped after Dowell agreed to apologize to the officer, complete 30 hours of community service, and clean the monument. Dowell was also ordered by the Boston Municipal Court to continue therapy, complete a community program, and stay away from the protest site.
