Spanish youth on pro-life walk report harassment from activists

Madrid, Spain, Aug 8, 2012 / 11:05 am

Twelve young people taking part in a Crossroads pro-life walk in Spain say they have been harassed by abortion rights activists on their journey from Barcelona to Santiago de Compostela.

The group, who is collecting signatures to support a reform of Spain's abortion law, said they have experienced "many obstacles" from abortion advocates, including being pelted with paint-filled eggs.

In statements to the newspaper La Gaceta, the spokesman for Crossroads Spain, Pablo Santana, said the harassment began in Barcelona.

"We carry a banner that reads: 'How many abortions do you think there should reasonably be in Spain? Abortion is the cruel and violent death of a human being,' and they painted over it and changed it so that it only said, 'Abortion is humane,'" Santana said.  

They young people were harassed again on Aug. 4 while they were praying at a national shrine in Valladolid. In the city of Tordesillas local officials ordered the police to stop them from distributing pamphlets and fliers on street corners, saying they did not have the proper permits.

Santana said they tried to speak to city officials but were told they were "too busy."  

"Later we came across an assistant to the mayor who was sitting the square having a drink," he said.

The young people participating in Crossroads Spain began their pilgrimage in Barcelona and have passed through the cities of Valencia, Cordoba, Madrid and Valladolid on their way to Santiago de Compostela, where they expect to arrive on Aug. 19.  

So far, they have collected 40,000 signatures to support the reform of Spain's abortion law.