Latest news with #AllianceDefendingFreedomInternational
Yahoo
09-06-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
'Billboard Chris' sounds off after arrest in 'most woke city' for opposing transgender treatments for kids
Conservative activists warned about the threat to free speech in Europe after they were arrested in Brussels, Belgium on Thursday for holding signs opposing transgender medical treatments for children. Chris Elston, better known as "Billboard Chris," and Alliance Defending Freedom International senior legal communications officer Lois McLatchie Miller spoke to Fox News Digital after they were released, hours after being harassed by a crowd and taken into police custody. Elston, well known for wearing billboards decrying transgender medical care for children out in public, stood out in the streets of the Belgian capital alongside McLatchie Miller. Both wore billboards with the messages, "Children are never born in the wrong body" and "Children cannot consent to puberty blockers." Elston travels the world to spread his message, which he says mostly receives positive feedback. But in Brussels, it was mostly opposition. Police Arrest 'Billboard Chris,' Christian Activist In Eu Capital For Denouncing Child Transgender Treatments "It was pretty much non-stop abuse and harassment," Elston told Fox News Digital. "It quickly became apparent that this is probably the most woke city I have been to in my five years of campaigning, and nothing else comes close." Read On The Fox News App "We had a man throw a glass bottle at us. It landed behind me, but right in front of a five-year-old girl who was walking with her dad, smashed on the ground. People were telling me I needed to get out of there because Antifa was going to come, and no matter where we walked in the city, we were getting a lot of grief," he added. After one man continually harassed McLatchie Miller, the pair called the police for protection. Instead, they were told if they didn't remove their signs, they would be arrested. They were then detained, strip-searched and had their signs confiscated, before they were released three hours later with no formal charge, Elston said. "They put us in handcuffs and everything, but they just let us go, and it seems they just wanted to get rid of us instead of dealing with the angry, unruly mob," he added. The activists were in Brussels this week to share their message and discuss policy issues with members of the European Parliament. Free Speech Advocates Praise Trump Admin For Speaking Out On Global Censorship McLatchie Miller, who works for the faith-based legal organization, Alliance Defending Freedom International, said it was surprising to find herself detained, when she is usually fighting for ADF clients whose speech has been silenced by local authorities. "I don't think we were quite prepared to expect this level of hostility here in Brussels, but hopefully it exposes some things that need to be exposed about the need to protect freedom of expression in Europe," she told Fox News Digital. Vice President JD Vance recently sounded the alarm about free speech being under threat in Europe. In a speech in Munich in February, he raised the case of a British army veteran who was arrested and charged for silently praying in an abortion buffer zone to warn that Europe appeared to be retreating from some of its fundamental values it shares with the U.S. and adopting "Soviet-era" censorship. McLatchie Miller said her arrest "really represents the free speech crisis that Europe is facing right now." Vance Is Right About Free Speech. That's What Makes Eu And Us Leftists So Mad "Vance pointed this out in his Munich speech just a few months ago, and many people in Europe laughed at him and said that this wasn't true," she continued. "But case after case, time after time, we're seeing this assault on free speech unfold." "As Chris and I were just there sharing a very peaceful message, a very important message, that no child has ever been born in the wrong body, and they do not need drugs and scalpels to fix themselves, they need love and affirmation. It's an opinion that's shared by many people across Europe, and yet the authorities came and shut down that conversation in the streets of this capital city, this heart of the European Union." "If free speech is not accessible here in Europe's alleged home of democracy, then it's not accessible anywhere, and it really does raise an alarm bell," she said. Brussels police did not immediately return a request for comment. Their arrest comes at a time when Elston believes there is a growing movement across the globe of those questioning or criticizing transitioning children. "We're making tremendous progress all across the globe," he said. He cited European countries like Finland, Denmark, and the United Kingdom which now discourage giving puberty blockers to children experiencing gender dysphoria. "The truth is spreading," he added. Elston said he speaks to people on both sides of the aisle who share his concerns about transitioning children, and he believes it was one major issue that swung voters away from the Democratic Party in the 2024 election. "This was the number one issue in the U.S. election that caused swing voters to vote for President Donald Trump," he argued. "It wasn't the economy, it wasn't immigration, it was transgender insanity. And even in these Democrat states, a lot of those voters are sick and tired of this." Fox News' Gabriel Hays contributed to this article source: 'Billboard Chris' sounds off after arrest in 'most woke city' for opposing transgender treatments for kids
Yahoo
06-06-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Police arrest ‘Billboard Chris,' Christian activist in EU capital for denouncing child transgender treatments
Belgian police arrested a prominent conservative activist and an Alliance Defending Freedom International employee in the European Union capital of Brussels on Thursday while they were displaying signs opposing transgender medical treatment for kids. Chris Elston, also known as "Billboard Chris," and ADF International official Lois McLatchie Miller were detained by Brussels police while protesting gender-affirming care for children. They were released after several hours and not charged but were instructed to destroy their signs. "Chris and I were arrested for stating a simple truth in public: no child is born in the wrong body. I called the police because we were being surrounded and felt threatened. But instead of addressing the aggression of the mob, the police arrested us—two people standing peacefully with signs, open to conversation," McLatchie Miller told Fox News Digital. Marjorie Taylor Greene Pushes Bill To Punish Those Who Perform Gender Transition Measures On Minors "That this happened in the heart of Europe is deeply troubling. If speaking up for children is now grounds for arrest, then our freedom to speak the truth on any important issue is truly in danger," the ADF International employee added. Elston, well known for wearing billboards decrying transgender medical treatment for children out in public, stood out in the streets of the Belgian capital alongside McLatchie Miller. Both wore billboards, with the ADF employee's sign reading, "Children are never born in the wrong body" and Elston's reading, "Children cannot consent to puberty blockers." Read On The Fox News App According to ADF International's press release, the signs drew a crowd of onlookers, some of whom got aggressive. In a video recorded before their arrest, Elston showed Brussels police forming a ring around him and his colleague to keep onlookers from getting too close. "And we have quite a scene unfolding in Brussels, Belgium," Elston said in the recording. "We have been getting incredibly harassed for about the last hour. We've remained perfectly calm as always, having conversations about what is the greatest child abuse scandal in modern medicine history." New House Bill Would Make Trump Ban On Transgender Troops Permanent Elston continued, saying they were the ones who called the police to protect them from harassment; however, he noted that the officers then ordered them to put away their signs. "We called the police because a man was harassing and following Lois everywhere she went, trying to stop us from filming. The police have now arrived, and they've told me I have to put – and Lois – they've told us we have to put our signs away. I have refused. He said I was violating the law. I said, 'What law?' He can't name it," he said. Elston added that he was told he was going to be arrested, stating, "So I said, 'That's fine. Go ahead.'" Click Here For More Coverage Of Media And Culture ADF International's press release stated the two were eventually arrested and taken to two separate police stations, where they were "ordered to remove their clothes and searched." They were released several hours later. In a statement, ADF International executive director Paul Coleman ripped Brussels' government for the action. "The Belgian authorities not only failed to uphold the fundamental right to speak freely, they turned the power of the state against those who were peacefully exercising their rights at the behest of a mob," he said. "This is the type of authoritarianism we challenge in other parts of the world, and it's deeply disturbing to see it here in the very heart of Europe. While we are grateful our colleague has been safely released, we are deeply concerned by her treatment at the hands of the police in Brussels," Coleman added. Fox News Digital reached out to the Belgian police for comment but did not immediately receive a article source: Police arrest 'Billboard Chris,' Christian activist in EU capital for denouncing child transgender treatments
Yahoo
16-02-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
UK man arrested for praying outside abortion clinic praises VP Vance for bringing attention to case
Vice President JD Vance left U.K. army veteran Adam Smith-Connor "incredibly surprised" after his story of being arrested for silently praying outside an abortion clinic became the focus of a defense of free speech and religious liberty on the international stage over the weekend. "I had no idea it was going to happen," Smith-Connor said Sunday on "Fox & Friends Weekend." "I'm a physiotherapist. I was treating a patient. I just had a few minutes' gap between patients… and [I learned] the vice president of America was talking about [my] case, so it was incredibly surprising, and I'm very grateful to him for highlighting this case." Smith-Connor was found guilty of breaching the local government's Public Spaces Protection Order in October, nearly two years after standing outside an abortion facility with his head bowed in silent prayer. Vance Warns The Us Will Use Sanctions, Military Action If Putin Doesn't Agree To Ukraine Peace Deal: Report He was ordered to pay £9,000 (approximately $11,330 USD) to his prosecutors as a result. Read On The Fox News App Vance highlighted the case as he blasted 'Soviet'-style European censorship in an address to European leaders at the Munich Security Conference last Friday. "The backslide away from conscience rights has placed the basic liberties of religious Britons, in particular, in the crosshairs," the vice president said. "A little over two years ago, the British government charged Adam Smith-Connor, a 51-year-old physiotherapist and an Army veteran with the heinous crime of standing 50 meters from an abortion clinic and silently praying for three minutes, not obstructing anyone, not interacting with anyone, just silently praying on his own." Hegseth Says He And Vance Are 'On The Same Page' Despite Vp's Remark On Us Troops In Ukraine Lois McLatchie Miller, senior legal communications officer at Alliance Defending Freedom International, informed Smith-Connor of Vance's acknowledgment through a phone call. She told "Fox & Friends Weekend" co-host Rachel Campos-Duffy that ADF International is supporting his legal defense as they seek to appeal the judgment later this year. "This intervention from Vice President Vance highlighting the case really exposes that this is the worst example of censorship in the West right now. If we cannot think thoughts in our heads on certain British streets, we have no hope for freedom anywhere else."Original article source: UK man arrested for praying outside abortion clinic praises VP Vance for bringing attention to case
Fox News
16-02-2025
- Politics
- Fox News
UK man arrested for praying outside abortion clinic praises VP Vance for bringing attention to case
Vice President JD Vance left U.K. army veteran Adam Smith-Connor "incredibly surprised" after his story of being arrested for silently praying outside an abortion clinic became the focus of a defense of free speech and religious liberty on the international stage over the weekend. "I had no idea it was going to happen," Smith-Connor said Sunday on "Fox & Friends Weekend." "I'm a physiotherapist. I was treating a patient. I just had a few minutes' gap between patients… and [I learned] the vice president of America was talking about [my] case, so it was incredibly surprising, and I'm very grateful to him for highlighting this case." Smith-Connor was found guilty of breaching the local government's Public Spaces Protection Order in October, nearly two years after standing outside an abortion facility with his head bowed in silent prayer. He was ordered to pay £9,000 (approximately $11,330 USD) to his prosecutors as a result. Vance highlighted the case as he blasted 'Soviet'-style European censorship in an address to European leaders at the Munich Security Conference last Friday. "The backslide away from conscience rights has placed the basic liberties of religious Britons, in particular, in the crosshairs," the vice president said. "A little over two years ago, the British government charged Adam Smith-Connor, a 51-year-old physiotherapist and an Army veteran with the heinous crime of standing 50 meters from an abortion clinic and silently praying for three minutes, not obstructing anyone, not interacting with anyone, just silently praying on his own." Lois McLatchie Miller, senior legal communications officer at Alliance Defending Freedom International, informed Smith-Connor of Vance's acknowledgment through a phone call. She told "Fox & Friends Weekend" co-host Rachel Campos-Duffy that ADF International is supporting his legal defense as they seek to appeal the judgment later this year. "This intervention from Vice President Vance highlighting the case really exposes that this is the worst example of censorship in the West right now. If we cannot think thoughts in our heads on certain British streets, we have no hope for freedom anywhere else."
The Guardian
15-02-2025
- Politics
- The Guardian
JD Vance decried as extremist over attack on UK abortion clinic safe zones
JD Vance has been labelled an 'extremist' after he launched a broadside against the UK's efforts to protect women seeking an abortion. The US vice-president's criticisms of UK and Scottish policies on safe access zones around abortion clinics -part of a wide-ranging tirade against Europe on Friday - were derided as inaccurate and misogynistic by a number of groups, politicians and governments. Heidi Stewart, the chief executive of Bpas, the UK's leading provider of abortion services, said safe zones - buffer areas of 150 metres around abortion clinics designed to stop women being harassed with leaflets, shown pictures of foetuses, or having to pass by vigils - were vital to protect women's access to essential healthcare in an 'overwhelmingly pro-choice country'. 'Bpas ... will always remain proud to stand against misogynistic and anti-democratic interference with British women's reproductive rights by foreign extremists, whether they are the vice-president of the US or not,' she said. The Labour MP Stella Creasy, who campaigned for the safe zones which were introduced last year, posted a picture of a scene from the dystopian television series The Handmaid's Tale alongside with the words: 'And so it begins … ' She accused Vance of calling 'for the right to harass women having an abortion' because 'our bodies are their battleground, our human rights their target'. In Vance's speech at the Munich security conference, he said the UK had 'placed the basic liberties of religious Britons ... in the crosshairs', citing the prosecution of Adam Smith-Connor, a physiotherapist and army veteran. Vance said he had been charged with the 'heinous crime of standing 50 metres from an abortion clinic and silently praying for three minutes, not obstructing anyone, not interacting with anyone, just silently praying on his own'. Smith-Connor, who is receiving legal support from Alliance Defending Freedom International, a conservative Christian legal advocacy group in the US - was convicted of breaching a safe zone in October last year after refusing repeated requests to move away from outside an abortion clinic in Bournemouth in November 2022. A community officer spoke to him for an hour and 40 minutes and asked him to leave, but he refused. Smith-Connor was handed a two-year conditional discharge and ordered to pay more than £9,000 costs after the case brought by Bournemouth, Christchurch and Poole council. Vance also claimed the Scottish government had distributed letters to citizens whose houses lay 'within so-called safe access zones, warning them that even private prayer within their own homes may amount to breaking the law'. Shortly after his statement, a Scottish government spokesperson said: 'The vice-president's claim is incorrect. Private prayer at home is not prohibited within safe access zones and no letter has ever suggested it was.' The Abortion Services (Safe Access Zones) (Scotland) act, introduced last year, banned 'silent prayer' to prevent mass silent vigils which have been used by large groups of US pro-life protesters such as 40 Days for Life. The law states that the actions are only banned if they are likely to cause alarm or distress to someone accessing abortion services. Sign up to First Edition Our morning email breaks down the key stories of the day, telling you what's happening and why it matters after newsletter promotion The Scottish Green MSP Gillian Mackay, who pushed for the introduction of safe zones, said Vance was spreading 'shocking and shameless misinformation'. She said: 'He is one of the most powerful people in the world but he is peddling total nonsense and dangerous scaremongering.' The managing director for the Abortion Support Network, Camille Kumar, accused him of 'dog-whistle messaging' an an attack on 'fragile' women's rights. 'It is deeply concerning that within days of pardoning [protesters] in the US for their harassment of women and pregnant people outside abortion clinics, JD Vance is now trying to stir up anti-abortion rhetoric in the UK.' The director of the End Violence, Andrea Simon, said: 'Safe access buffer zones were introduced to ensure that women can safely access abortion services without fear of harassment. That is vital, because abortion is a fundamental healthcare right for women in the UK, which must be protected.'
