MADESON, Wisconsin (AP) – Police said Monday they have not arrested anyone over a weekend fire and vandalism at the office of a prominent Wisconsin anti-abortion lobby group.
The fire at the Wisconsin Family Action office in Madison, which the FBI is helping to investigate, came after two Catholic churches in Colorado, including one known for its annual anti-abortion demonstration, were vandalized last week.
Last week’s draft opinion suggesting the US Supreme Court is on track to overturn Rowe’s remarkable decision to legalize abortion across the country sparked protests across the country, including many in Madison. Demonstrations included protests over a weekend of abortion advocates outside the homes of conservative U.S. Supreme Court justices, which are still scheduled for this week.
Madison police said a fire broke out in the Wisconsin family’s office after a Molotov cocktail thrown into the building did not catch fire. The message “If abortions are not safe, then you are not” was spray-painted on the outside.
Shortly after 6 a.m. Sunday, flames were observed coming from the office, and the fire is being investigated as arson.
No one was hurt.
Police spokeswoman Stephanie Fryer said no one had been arrested and that local and federal authorities, including the FBI and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, would provide updates on the investigation later Monday, including possible charges. which are brought. persecution.
Democratic Gov. Tony Evers, who is due to be re-elected in November, condemned Monday’s attack when asked about it at a groundbreaking event on the outskirts of Madison.
“It was a terrible, horrible incident,” Evers said, adding that anyone responsible should be arrested and tried. That is unacceptable. “
“Violence does not solve the problems we face as a state,” Evers said.
Lobbying Group President Juliane Alling said she believed vandalism was a direct response to the court’s expiration of the draft opinion. She said that “this attack fails to scare us, but instead strengthens the determination of law-abiding people, common sense, everyday people to stand up and repel.”
Wisconsin Family Action has been a prominent force in the state for years, advocating for laws restricting access to abortion, fighting for Roe’s repeal against Wade, and working on many other hot social issues.
Politicians from both parties were quick to condemn the vandalism.
Abortion clinics have also sometimes been targeted by vandals, including recently in January, when a planned parenting clinic in Tennessee was hit by arson.
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