‘Abort67’ staged a graphic demonstration in Cambridge on Monday afternoon, provoking a student counter-protest which ended in police action. The protest, which took place on Queen’s Road, across from King’s College and on a well-used route to the University Library and Sidgwick Site, saw the group erect two large banners displaying detailed images of aborted foetuses.

The group, which describes its mission as being “to educate the public about what abortion does to the unborn”, has recently staged similar protests at Sussex and Nottingham Universities as part of a ‘tour’ of university campuses.

Soon after the protest began a group of students, many holding makeshift signs and placards objecting to the group’s tactics, staged an impromptu counter-demonstration. Cambridge students used sheets of fabric and banners with pro-choice messages to cover the graphic imagery used by the group.

By 3pm police officers had arrived following a complaint about Abort67’s protest, and ordered the group to take down their banners, calling the images “obscene”.After arguments between anti-abortion protestors and the police, the group removed its banners, which the police officers said were distressing to the public. That evening, Abort67 wrote on their Facebook page: “At Cambridge University, when abortion is exposed they use logic and reasoning to defend their pro-choice position?!No!! They... Cover it up”.

Talking to Varsity, CUSU Women’s Officer Susy Langsdale said the group’s use of such images was aimed to “psychologically manipulate women into rejecting abortion by using simplistic shock tactics of presenting gory humanised images of foetuses. The attempt to humanise the aborted foetus is typical of anti-choice organisations which place greater importance on the unborn than the mother’s wellbeing and autonomy.”

“Recognising the manipulative nature of these images, a flurry of text messages and facebook statuses resulted in roughly fifty women and men across the University coming to join in with our counter protest within half an hour of the organisation displaying the images. We quickly rushed to cover the images up with placards and a bed sheet to ensure that no other women were subjected to these crude and distressing tactics. The speed with which so many people came to support our counter protest leaves me proud to be part of a student body that so clearly believes in women’s autonomy and choice.”

Abort67 protesters arrived at the Nottingham University campus on Wednesday with the aim of targeting medical and nursing students, urging individuals not to participate in abortions. However, the group was forced to leave the campus after around an hour. The student union’s women’s society organised a counter-protest, and as was the case in Cambridge, attempted to obstruct the graphic images with pro-choice placards.

Kathryn Attwood, Abort 67’s group director, told student magazine Impact Nottingham:

“We are following the steps of Thomas Clarkson, the slave trade abolitionist, around the country. He toured around with graphic images regarding slavery to show the public what slavery did to slaves.

“We’re following his steps to show students and engage with students in debate about what abortion does to pre-born children.”