Students and staff arriving at UVic today may have been confused by the thousands of pink and blue flags staked across the grass quad near the library.
This morning, Youth Protecting Youth, an anti-abortion, pro-life club on campus, planted 10,000 flags to protest the fact that Canada has no laws restricting abortion.
Each flag represented 10 abortions performed in Canada each year.
The flags were supposed to stay up from 8 AM to 3 PM, but were removed about five hours after they were planted, by students protesting the club’s event and message.
According to a report by the Martlet, the President of YPY, Cecilia Fillipone, stated that the university had given the club permission to organize the event.
The flags and their message prompted a discussion among students on social media.
Some felt that the club was entitled to host events, as per their free speech rights, while others argued that the purpose of the demonstration was a misguided attempt make people feel guilty about abortion.
In 2013, YPY was in the spotlight for being banned from hosting outdoor demonstrations on campus after it was found that members had allegedly harassed students at previous events.
