Anti-abortion campaigners have revealed their plans to launch a sickening attack on a sexual health clinic in Glasgow.
Members of extremist fringe group Scottish Family Party (SFP) took to Facebook to discuss their mission to “brick up” the Sandyford clinic in Glasgow. The Sandyford clinic has been repeatedly targeted by pro-life protestors and women attending for treatment have been harassed and even filmed when accessing abortion services.
In a live video on the platform on Tuesday night, party leader and former UKIP member Richard Lucas spoke to SFP member Niall Fraser about the disturbing details of their plan.
Fraser said: “On March 11 at 11am we are going to be protesting this horrific building. The plan is to brick it up. How do we stop kids entering the building? We have to block the entrance. We are going to impede people getting in to the building.”
Lucas then responds: “There are some valid forms of healthcare at Sandyford, but an awful lot of it is not - and we are going to make our feelings known.”
Fraser continues: “We need people of the resistance - a symbol that we are not going to take it anymore.
“I’m willing to do time for it. I won’t have Scottish kids, on an industrial scale pumped full of hormones, confused and ultimately abandoned after they go through this process. It is such a sick, disturbing situation.”
Fraser then adds that he is willing to “do time” for his actions if police attempt to block his protest.
He said: “I am willing to do time for it if the police think that bricking the building up is a step too far.”
The Scottish Family Party, founded in 2017, states in its core policies it opposes both abortion and “transgender ideology”. Their broadcast rallying troops to attack Sandyford comes amidst calls for legislation to introduce ‘buffer zones’ laws at abortion facilities to protect pregnant people from intimidation.
If granted, the legislation would make it illegal for pro-life activists to stage demonstrations within a 100m vicinity of any abortion clinic. The bid was brought forward by Scottish Greens health spokesperson Gillian Mackay, who blasted the Scottish Family Party footage as “disgusting”.
She told the Record: “This is a disgraceful and disgusting new low from an increasingly extreme group that masquerades as a political party. It has no place in a kind, caring and progressive Scotland.
“They are showing a total contempt for the safety, rights and wellbeing of service users and staff. It is intimidation and harassment, and it needs to be stopped. I am going to contact Police Scotland and ask them to urgently investigate.
“It also underlines exactly why we need to introduce buffer zones, to ensure that everyone can access reproductive healthcare without fear of obstruction.”
A spokesperson for pro-choice campaign group Back Off Scotland added: “These comments are shocking - they’re inflammatory and incite violence. Sandyford Services are used throughout the weekend and protests outside are a barrier to those seeking medical care.
“The quicker buffer zones are implemented the better. There is no place for this behaviour at healthcare sites.”
Gemma Clark, pro-choice campaigner, said: “It is chilling to see these threats against the Sandyford clinic. This clinic provides a range of essential services including counselling and sexual health tests for women and girls who have been subjected to rape and sexual assault.”
The Daily Record has reported on a worrying rise of extremist anti-abortion activity outside Scotland’s sexual health clinics. In June last year we told how religious activists were seen ‘filming patients’ outside Sandyford before being chased away by counter demonstrators.
The two men targeted the clinic three times in the same month. One of the ‘preachers’ was quoting Bible passages and chanting through a loudspeaker system while wearing a small black body camera on his chest.
His pal held sickening signs which read “babies are murdered here” and “abortion is murder - thou shalt not murder”.
Last week we reported on Texas based religious group 40 Days for Life staging a “prayer vigil” outside the maternity ward at the Queen Elizabeth University hospital in Glasgow for the second year running. The group, who held up banners which read: ‘Don’t be coerced into abortion’ with images of foetuses, was led by Bishopbriggs woman Rose Docherty.
Rose previously told the Record she was recruited by 40 Days ‘through the pro-life grapevine’ and claims she aims to ‘help’ women who may be ‘coerced’ into abortion. A furious NHS consultant was forced to confronted the protesters in a bid to protect patients.
Dr Greg Irwin, who works in paediatric radiology, told them: “You are upsetting my patients and you are upsetting my staff. What you are doing is very unkind and I would like you to stop what you are doing.
“You need to stop coming to my hospital, this is not fair.”
He went on to tell the Record: “These people are bullying our patients. Abortion is legal in our country and these women are doing nothing wrong. Women who may be experiencing the very worst day of their lives are having to deal with these people.
“Their protest is aimed directly at women and is the very definition of misogyny. It is spiteful, there is no other word for it.
An NHS Greater Glasgow and Clyde spokesperson said: “NHSGGC provides a wide range of healthcare services and patients should be able to access these services without fear of intimidation or harassment. At all times, our healthcare teams treat service users with respect, compassion and professionalism and we would expect that others will respect these values.”
A Police Scotland spokesperson said: “We are aware of a planned protest on Saturday, March 11 on Sandyford Place, Glasgow. It will be policed appropriately.”
The Record has approached The Scottish Family Party for comment.
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