KINGSTON, Jamaica—Dr Daniel Thomas, president of the Christian youth organisation, Love March Movement, is condemning what he describes as ongoing physical attacks and threats against himself and members of his team during a prayer vigil in Kingston.

Thomas said the incidents have been occurring near the Ivy Green Medical Centre, where the group has been staging a vigil as part of the ’40 Days for Life’ campaign.

According to Thomas, since February 19, members of his team have been subjected to abuse, including water, stones, gravel and glass bottles allegedly being thrown at them by individuals at or near the facility.

“We’re actually out there 12 hours a day, and since February 19th, that’s last week, Thursday, the team has been enduring significant abuse and threats from persons from inside the Ivy Green Medical Centre, because we’re on that road there, across the road on Ivy Green Crescent,” Thomas told Observer Online.

He said some team members have sustained injuries and noted that at least four reports have been filed with the police.

“We’ve filed about four police reports so far, and I myself, while praying, one of the ladies got water and tried to throw water with some soapy water thing on me. I had to dodge it,” Thomas said.

“She went up in the upstairs part of the facility, throwing down rocks at me and cursing at us, and wet me up with water, and threw stones, come in my face and threw a handful of gravel at me. She grabbed it out of a pothole on the road there, with a lot of cursing,” he added.

Thomas said a primary person accused of attacking team members was reportedly apprehended but was subsequently released.

“The police, they have shown up when we have called, sometimes they take like an hour before they come, during which we’re dodging rocks and bottles and all kinds of things. We wish that their support for our rights to distribute helpful information, and to pray in a public space, we wish that would have been supported a bit more.

Sometimes they tell us that we need to go further down the road, etc. But we are grateful that even though it took an hour for them to come on Wednesday night that the lady who has been one of the primary persons attacking team members was apprehended. I understand that she might have been subsequently released, but at least, you know, something actually happened. This is something that has been an ongoing thing each year,” he said.

The Cross Roads police however told Observer Online that they are yet to receive a report from the Christian group.

Thomas maintained that his team has been peacefully praying and reaching out to women experiencing crisis pregnancies. He claimed that since last Wednesday, three women have chosen not to proceed with abortions after engaging with the group.

“Since last week Wednesday, we’ve rescued three babies from abortion so far, and that brings our total to 36 babies that have been rescued since the start of the project,” he added.

Thomas said the organisation provides practical support to women, including assistance with finding employment, groceries and help to leave violent situations.

“We have created a whole system of support for women in crisis pregnancies, and so once they call this number that we have on this flyer, 8765630216, we’re able to come alongside women who many times feel like they have no choice but to abort their children, and we just offer them anything that they need. We have doctors here that are ready to see them. We have just connected them with churches,” Thomas said.

’40 Days for Life’ is an internationally coordinated 40-day campaign aimed at ending abortion locally through prayer and fasting, community outreach and peaceful all-day vigils in front of abortion facilities. The Kingston campaign began on February 18 and will run until March 29.