Anti-abortion demonstration at immigration protest calls abortion the ‘true family separation’

An anti-abortion protester with a megaphone attempted to join a Washington, D.C., demonstration against President Trump’s immigration policy separating families on Saturday.

Using a megaphone, the man blasted abortion as the “true family separation” and a “savage act of violence.”

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“The pro-life movement also agrees that humans should never be separated from their families,” he shouted at protesters joining a large group in the park ahead of the rally. Many of the immigration protesters booed him or shouted “shame!”

He repeatedly thanked attendees of the rally for “coming to support the pro-life movement.”

He was joined by other anti-abortion rights protesters at the entrance to Lafayette Park, near the White House, who were holding up large signs with graphic anti-abortion images.

The group appeared on the outskirts of the Families Belong Together rally, one of several protests planned nationwide on Saturday by MoveOn, the ACLU, the National Domestic Workers Alliance and the Leadership Conference on Civil and Human Rights. 

Police were present as the two groups of protesters collided, but no violence broke out.

“He doesn’t need to be heard,” said Casey Royer, a protester who held a sign in front of the man’s face. “We’re all aware of his points and he’s a distraction right now to why we’re here.”

“And just like the crowd is drowning out his voice right now I’m trying to cover his face because he doesn’t need to be spouting this nonsense while we’re here for another purpose,” she told The Hill.

One of the anti-abortion protesters, who identified herself as Shannon and declined to give her last name, said she was there to ensure people know what the “bigger genocide” is and that people who care about children should care about “all of them.”

The man with the megaphone walked up and down one of the streets bordering the park shouting and flanked by D.C. Metropolitan Police Department officers. He joined protesters walking to the White House, with immigration protesters surrounding him most of the way and attempting to drown him out.

One of the officers present on the scene told The Hill that police were ensuring no violence broke out and that the man did not cross certain boundaries. She added that if he did, he could be arrested.

— Jesus Rodriguez contributed video.