Vandals reportedly made use of a firebomb to attack the base of operations of an anti-abortion organization in Wisconsin over the weekend of May 8th. The criminals additionally spray-painted a threat to the pro-life group that warned, “If abortions aren’t safe then you aren’t either.”
Vandals set a fire inside the Madison head office of the anti-abortion group Wisconsin Family Action early May 8th, Police, and officials with the group stated later the same day. Investigators are calling the fire at the structure, on Madison’s North Side near the Dane County Regional Airport, an arson.
Julaine Appling, president of the lobbying and advocacy group, stated she was preparing for a Mother’s Day breakfast in Watertown when a facility employee notified her of the break-in. An individual en route to the airport before dawn saw smoke increasing from the structure and called authorities, Appling stated.
Police stated flames were seen originating from the structure shortly after 6 a.m. Nobody was injured.
Coming to the office at 2801 International Lane at the same time as a reporter, Appling and a group event coordinator Diane Westphall discovered shattered glass from a damaged window covering a corner office filled with burnt books. The smell of smoke continued for hours after the fire, which damaged the corner office carpet and the wall underneath the window.
Madison Police & Fire are investigating possible arson at the Wisconsin Family Action offices on Madison’s north side. Marcus Aarsvold is on scene speaking with WFA employees and learning what happened @nbc15_madison
📷: @m_aarsvold pic.twitter.com/XwcpGH8Tgk
— Gabriella Rusk (@GabriellaRusk) May 8, 2022
The exterior of the structure likewise was sprayed with graffiti illustrating an anarchy sign, a coded anti-police motto, and the threat, “If abortions aren’t safe then you aren’t either.”
“What you’re going to see here is a direct threat against us,” Appling said. The incident comes just days after a leaked U.S. Supreme Court opinion revealed a majority of the high court had agreed to overturn the landmark 1973 decision in Roe v. Wade, which legalized abortion across the country. “Imagine if somebody had been in the office when this happened. They would have been hurt.”
Appling stated cops discovered residues of a minimum of one Molotov cocktail, a rudimentary firebomb.
Authorities stated the firebomb was tossed inside the structure however it did not catch. It appears a different fire was begun after that, cops stated.
Madison Police Chief Shon Barnes stated in a declaration that the department is dealing with the arson investigation with federal authorities and the Madison Fire Department.
“It appears a specific non-profit that supports anti-abortion measures was targeted,” he said in the statement.
Barnes said the police department will supply an update on the case at 2 p.m. the following Monday.
The Madison Police Department is investigating a fire at an office building on the city's north side as arson.
It appears a non-profit that supports anti-abortion measures was targeted.
No injuries have been reported.
More information here: https://t.co/0hclrrPb9w pic.twitter.com/ccsTzLPbzW
— Madison Police (@madisonpolice) May 8, 2022
On Twitter, Democratic Gov. Tony Evers condemned the evident arson.
“We condemn violence and hatred in all forms, including the actions at Wisconsin Family Action in Madison last night,” Evers wrote.
“We reject violence against any person for disagreeing with another’s view … We will work against overturning Roe and attacks on reproductive rights by leading with empathy and compassion. We will defend what we believe in with our words and our voices — in the streets, in halls of government, and at the ballot box. In Wisconsin, we must lead by example.”
Attorney General Of Wisconsin Josh Kaul called the arson “disgraceful and unacceptable.”
“This incident must be fully investigated and whoever is responsible should be prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law,” he tweeted.
Madison Mayor Satya Rhodes-Conway stated she comprehends that individuals are mad and scared in the wake of the dripped Supreme Court draft however that turning to violence isn’t an appropriate action.
“Madison believes strongly in the right to free speech, but it must be exercised nonviolently by all sides in this increasingly contentious debate,” she said.
Rhodes-Conway likewise stated pro-abortion rights groups have actually likewise been targeted, without citing any specific instance and she called upon Congress to pass a bill codifying abortion as it currently is under Roe v. Wade.
In 2012, an anti-abortion activist tossed a firebomb into Planned Parenthood’s Appleton place. The arsonist, an anti-abortion rights activist, was sentenced to 11 years in prison. The area closed a couple of years later on after a mass shooting happened at a Planned Parenthood center in Colorado.
“This attack is abhorrent and should be condemned by all,” Republican U.S. Sen. Ron Johnson said.
Republican gubernatorial prospect and previous Lt. Gov. Rebecca Kleefisch knocked the firebomb attack, stating, “The radicals are trying to stop us but they know we won’t be intimidated from defending life.”
Republican gubernatorial prospect Kevin Nicholson included, “Disgusting behavior from the left.”
From throughout the aisle, Democratic U.S. Senate prospect Tom Nelson stated, “I am committed to protecting women’s rights — but we must do it the right way. Violence and destruction are not the answer. I’m glad no one was hurt.”
Furthermore, Democratic U.S. Senate prospect Sarah Godlewski stated, “No one should resort to the kind of violence we have too often seen against abortion providers, doctors, and clinics — we defend our reproductive freedom by contacting our representatives, showing up at the ballot box, and marching in the streets. Violence is never the answer.”
