Paul Gardner was leading a public education display on abortion in Cambridge city centre on Saturday, 1st November, when he was arrested following complaints about abortion-related imagery.

The two large banners on display featured images of third-trimester babies in and outside the womb, a heavily pregnant woman, and a late-term baby captioned “Christopher X – aborted in the third trimester.” The first banner carried the message: “Your MP voted for DIY abortion up to birth,” referring to the Parliamentary vote in June to fully “decriminalise” abortion for pregnant women. The display aimed to raise awareness in Cambridge that the local MP, Daniel Zeichner, voted in favour of these measures.

Officers arrested Gardner under Section 4A of the Public Order Act and seized the banners after receiving a complaint from a member of the public offended by the banner images. After several hours in custody, Gardner was released without charge—his solicitor, from the Christian Legal Centre, confirmed that no offence had been committed. When Gardner later attempted to retrieve the confiscated banners, he was informed by an apologetic police constable that the banners had been accidentally disposed of.

The Cambridge team is one of 19 groups around the country engaged in public education work for the Centre for Bio-Ethical Reform UK (CBR UK). Gardner has been leading the team in monthly displays for approximately 18 months without any issues arising with the police.

Andy Stephenson, founder of CBR UK, said:

“The work of CBR UK is to educate on the humanity of the unborn child and the reality of abortion. We primarily use images of the unborn child before and after abortion, as well as scientific facts about their development. Few people are aware that a baby’s heart begins beating at around 22 days in the womb.

The images used on the day of the arrest showed the victims of late-term abortion — both the baby and the pregnant mother. Our team leader was detained for around six hours for revealing the truth about abortion, while abortion extremists in government remain free to legalise the very act our images depicted.

We fully appreciate the difficult job police officers have in balancing rights and public order. That’s why we always brief the police before our events and provide documentation confirming that our activities are not only reasonable, but entirely lawful.”

Notes to Editors

• In 2016, Andrew Stephenson and Kathryn Atwood (née Sloane) of CBR UK won a High Court case against Sussex Police for wrongful arrest in 2010. Sussex Police were ordered to pay £40,000 in damages.
  
  
• Copies of the relevant court documents were sent to Cambridge Police when the team was established last year, and a hard copy is available at every event. Gardner presented these documents to officers on the day, though only one reviewed them.
  
  
• In a subsequent meeting with the Cambridge police, it was confirmed with CBR UK and Gardner that no offence had been committed and that the police will work to ensure CBR UK volunteer’s rights are protected in future.

Images and Supporting Documents

Hi-res images, captions and supporting documents are available here (including two court documents from Sussex Police arrest in 2010).

About CBR UK

The Centre for Bio-Ethical Reform UK (CBR UK) is a public education organisation focused on raising awareness of the humanity of the unborn child and the reality of abortion. The organisation conducts public education displays and community engagement across the United Kingdom.

Contact Details

For further information or to request an interview, please contact:

Ruth Rawlins
[email protected]