About 200 abortion rights activists, including men dressed in women's clothing, gay men and lesbians, staged a "kiss-in" and confrontational protest yesterday outside a St. Louis Park, Minn., church.
Police arrested six abortion-rights supporters on charges of assault and obstructing traffic. Four others were arrested on charges of stalking Operation Rescue members later.
The protesters demonstrated outside Calvary Temple, local headquarters for Operation Rescue, as about 300 churchgoers worshiped inside.
A woman from Chicago read from a Bible and attacked one verse after another for portraying "women as property." Protesters shouted obscenities, blocked cars and pushed and kicked police, who responded by spraying the chemical Mace and calling reinforcements.
Protesters beat drums, blew whistles and carried banners attacking the national anti-abortion organization during the two-hour demonstration. Some had green or purple hair and shirts blaring obscenities. Other young men were dressed in drag, including lingerie.
About three dozen police officers worked to control the crowd as churchgoers arrived for a 10 a.m. service.
After the service and protest, 22 Operation Rescue members drove to the homes of two Twin Cities abortion doctors, where they prayed. Four abortion-rights supporters followed the Rescue caravan and were arrested on stalking charges.
Mainstream abortion-rights supporters denounced the group's tactics.
The Network to Ensure Access, a coalition of Twin Cities abortion rights groups that has trained 2,000 volunteers to help ensure abortion clinic access, was not part of the morning protest.
"This fringe element that believes in the type of tactics carried out by Operation Rescue by no means represents the NEA," said Amy Phenix, the group's representative. "Our volunteers have agreed not to be confrontational."
Organizers said the rally was designed to tell Operation Rescue it isn't welcome in Minnesota. But many protesters, including four of those arrested, came from out of state. Some traveled from Chicago, New York and Detroit and planned to stay all week.
The crowd became unruly during the arrests. When officers responded with Mace, four were arrested for pushing and kicking the arresting officers. Three who were booked listed a Chicago address, and a fourth a Detroit address. About half the crowd soon dispersed, some upset by the arrests.
