25 members of the Missionaries to the Preborn (MTP), a militant anti-abortion group with ties to the extreme right and the militia movement, staged a picket on Friday July 10, at Queen's Park. They were joined by Campaign Life Coalition activists from around southern Ontario. Anti-Racist Action (Toronto) organized a demonstration to confront them. On only four days notice, close to 150 pro-choicers attended the demonstration, representing pro-choice, anti-poverty and other groups, as well as one of the coolest health clinics in town.

MTP is based in Milwaukee, WisconsinA spokesperson for the National Abortion Rights Action League in Milwaukee describes them as follows: "They're thugs, and they travel." NARAL helps coordinate escorting of clients in and out of clinics, and assists the Attorney-General's office in documenting injunction violations.

According to NARAL, MTP members have been charged or otherwise implicated in many acts of vandalism, violence, and intimidation, including:

* harassing clients of abortion clinics. Most have been arrested for the federal offense of blocking access to clinics, a violation of the Freedom of Access to Clinic Entrances Act.

* clients have been called after members of MTP have taken down their license plates and tracked them to their homes.

* harassing doctors and clinic staff. In one case, which members of MTP were cited for by police, they surrounded the car of a doctor as she was taking her children to daycare, and slashed her tires. In another case, a DEER'S HEAD was left on the driveway of one doctor's home, in circumstances which suggest MTP involvement.

* slashing tires of clinic staff at their places of work.

* celebrating a rash of butryic acid vandalism attacks on Milwaukee clinics in 1994.

MTP activists have been in regular contact with the Canadian Campaign Life Coalition for several months. On this tour, the most wide-ranging organizing effort yet, they have downplayed their hateful tactics and tried to pass themselves off as non- violent Christian do-gooders. Their strategy has been to display large signs to passing pedestrians and motorists and to distribute misleading propaganda.

On July 10, pro-choice, anti-racist, anti-poverty, student and youth activists chose to confront them and to rob them of their intended audience. 11 counter-demonstrators were arrested as we blocked traffic at Queen's Park Circle.

We are sickened by the police reaction to our legal demonstration. We are appalled that these travelling thugs and their local allies were protected to such an extent that our rights were violated by brutal police who dragged away people doing civil disobedience. One youth suffered a broken nose and a concussion as one officer deliberately smashed him in the face.

We call on women and our allies everywhere for support. We will defend reproductive freedom and women's access to abortion services, a basic medical right acknowledged in both the Canadian courts and most importantly, in society at large!