Fights break out at protest against new student anti-abortion society

Protests over a new anti-abortion society at the University of Manchester sparked violent clashes on Thursday evening.

Pro-choice demonstrators gathered outside the university’s students’ union on Oxford Road, ahead of the first gathering of the Manchester Pro-Life Society nearby.

A small number of young men were filmed throwing punches and pushing each other as large crowds jeered.

The protest appeared to become peaceful once one of the males involved left the scene.

Separate footage captured later in the evening showed protesters shouting ‘shame on you’ as people left the building where the society’s gathering took place.

Police officers were seen forcefully clearing a path out of the building and escorting attendees out and down the street.

The scenes became heated again as protesters gathered outside the meeting place tried to break through a human barricade of officers preventing them from following the attendees.

Large crowds were later seen moving back up Oxford Road, with small groups breaking off to heckle police officers.

The Manchester Pro-Life society says its goal is to ‘promote the wellbeing, and dignity of every human life, from conception’.

Its claims it is ‘not an anti-abortion society but a pro-life society’ and that it will also campaign on ‘other threats to life’ including assisted suicide, capital punishment and deaths caused by poverty and poor living standards.

However its logo is reminiscent of a human foetus and its first guest speaker is from the Alliance of Pro-Life Students, which explicitly says abortion should be ‘unthinkable’.

Students carrying placards looked on as two men brawled in front of the students’ union

More than 15,000 people have signed a petition calling for the society to be dissolved, though the students’ union says it cannot block societies based on their beliefs.

The petition said: ‘The student union should be a place that supports all students’ rights and wellbeing rather than endorsing societies that aim to abolish these rights.’

The group was founded in January and announced a committee made up of three men on February 9.

After widespread news coverage and social media posts pointed out its lack of gender balance, the society announced on February 20 the appointment of two female committee members.

Police officers were later seen clearing a path for attendees of the Pro-Life Society’s first gathering

A picture of the society’s first gathering posted on social media appeared to show men outnumbering women by at least two to one.

In a statement given previously to the BBC, a spokesperson for the society said: ‘We exist to encourage students to think critically about the way we define and value human life.’

A statement on the issue by the University of Manchester Students’ Union executive officers said: ‘We believe that fostering a culture of proactive involvement enables students to voice their opinions, challenge perspectives, and contribute to a diverse and inclusive campus environment.

‘As a students’ union, operating as a charity, we must also ensure equitable access to resources, participation in activities, and the formation of groups for all members, irrespective of their lawful views.

‘As a result, diverse societies and students with conflicting perspectives coexist on campus.’

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