Belfast saw a fantastic Rally for Choice march July 2nd 2016 – by far the biggest pro- choice demonstration in the north in many years, perhaps ever.
Despite being organised on a shoe string is was also bigger than the annual anti – choice march. Even though the organizers of that have access to so much money they had billboard vans driving around the city advertising their event.
Belfast saw a fantastic Rally for Choice march July 2nd 2016 – by far the biggest pro- choice demonstration in the north in many years, perhaps ever.
Despite being organised on a shoe string is was also bigger than the annual anti – choice march. Even though the organizers of that have access to so much money they had billboard vans driving around the city advertising their event.
The situation for anyone with an unwanted or unviable pregnancy continues with laws north and south that threaten a decade or more in jail for accessing abortion illegally. These laws need to be overturned and unfortunately in the south that almost certainly requires a referendum to repeal the 8th amendment. Yet politicians both north and south refuse to repeal the anti-woman laws, necessitating mobilizations like today.
The video shows scenes from the protest, people talking about why they took part and closes with speeches from two of the Derry 3. The Derry 3 handed themselves in to the police and admitted helping people obtain abortion medication as an act of solidarity and in defiance of the laws.
WSM members in Derry & Dublin had helped to organize buses to Belfast and people came from as far away as Kerry. One of our Belfast members was central involved in organizing the march. We were delighted with the scale of the mobilization.
Saturday’s large pro-choice march in Belfast saw another performance from the direct action feminist performance group Speaking of Imelda. The context is 3 women from Derry who have handed themselves in to the police for aiding people to access abortion after the north prosecuted women who had taken the abortion pill or supplied it to others.
Report & video Andrew Flood (follow Andrew on Twitter)