Monday 18 November 2013

March for Women October 20th 2013, Victoria Australia


 

 Dear friends, eight days following the March for the Babies, another march was held in Melbourne in the suburb of Brunswick and this march was held in memory of a young woman Jill Meagher who was murdered in September 2012 and a now global movement called “Reclaim the Night.”

 This march to reclaim the streets and make it safe for women to walk day and night without fear of assault and even murder as with Jill Meagher and other victims. Again the number of marchers was about 3000 with marchers carrying signs and shouting “no violence” “five, six, seven, eight, end the violence end the hate” was the chant! And I need to ask where these chanters were the previous week? Or were they same ones who hurled abuse at the pro lifers who were also marching for the safety of babies and women. Where were these protestors who are demanding that they have a right to walk on the street without being attacked and of course rightly so?

“We have a right to go out at night and feel safe” said one young lady being interviewed.  What about an infant in the womb and his/her right to feel safe?  What about the marchers for the babies and their right to feel safe from being abused and harassed by the rent a crowd?  There is that word “right” again but it’s a pity that this “right” is only for a select crowd and not for everyone.
 What is the difference between this march and the march for the babies? Dear friends the difference is visibility.  Jill Meagher and other young victims are

visible, known, and media heightened whereas the infant in the womb is invisible and is dependent on own mother and father to want or not want it.  The infant is also beautiful. Is also being killed. Is also vulnerable but the media and the rabble have no
respect for the newly created life and so it is up for being killed because “womyn’s rights” say that “womyn” can choose to take their child to die without being disturbed. These “womyn” do not see the “violence and the hate” underpinning abortion.
 
For the infants in the womb there is no “five, six, seven eight, end the violence end the hate”
The March for the babies clearly showed that violence and hate are alive and well in Melbourne, the “world’s most liveable city” especially when it comes to violence and hatred of in utero babies and those who would march to defend their right to be born and to enjoy their own life. 
A anti violence advocate, during the march to reclaim the streets, said in interview that violence against women occurred all the time at the hands of violent men. Indeed!
However, violence against in utero babies happens 50,000,000 times a year globally and over 100,000 in Australia yearly and unless we as a society understand the underlying violence which makes up our society beginning with violence against the smallest and frailest, and this violence demanded by its own parents, then the violence that occurs to other women and men and youth in the streets, in homes, in schools, in playgrounds, in cyberspace, should not come as a surprise. 
 
Violence permeates all our modern society because if it becomes permissible to kill the smallest of innocents with impunity, the frail, the disabled, then the only differences are of size, visibility and perhaps of physical appearance (beauty), then the streets will not become safe no matter how many chants. 
 
The streets will become safe when we as a society begin to honour and respect all life.  Until then no amount of chanting “five, six, seven eight, end the violence, end the hate” will not end the violence or the hate because to have killed an in utero child is to commit violence and have hate for life as the reason.