Canadian abortion activist Jordan Hunt, who was caught on video brutally assaulting a pro-life woman with a roundhouse kick, has been released on bond after local police arrested him over the weekend. Toronto police arrested Hunt, the man who was caught on video allegedly kicking a young, female pro-life advocate Sunday in Toronto.
A video of the incident that went viral earlier this week shows a male abortion activist roundhouse kicking a pro-life woman as she records her conversation with him. The woman later identified herself as Campaign Life Coalition Youth Coordinator Marie-Claire Bissonnette.
Hunt was charged with 8 counts of assault and 7 counts of criminal mischief, including an additional charge for a previous assault. That assault could be the other assault Hunt committed against another pro-life advocate. Hunt was released Saturday on $500 bail and his bail conditions forbid him to be within 500 meters of any “organized pro-life demonstration.”
Nobel Studio 101, a hair studio in Toronto, posted a message on Instagram identifying the man as Jordan Hunt, one of its former employees. The business said it fired Hunt after seeing him on the now-viral video.
The incident occurred when pro-life advocates gathered at the corner of Bloor and Keele streets in Toronto for the annual Life Chain, a peaceful, prayer-filled event to publicly witness about the tragedy of abortion. A few abortion activists showed up to counter-protest.
Bissonnette was participating in the Life Chain when she filmed the man – allegedly Hunt – assaulting her.
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“After these acts of vandalism, he approached the pro-abortion demonstrator, evidently in order to seek her approval, which she appeared to deny him by discouraging his tactics,” she said. “At this point I took out my cell phone and began to record him, telling him that what he did was destruction of private property and it was against the law.” …
Bissonnette said the man also defaced several of their signs and scribbled on several pro-lifers’ clothes, including those of a 10-year-old girl.
Bissonnette also posted a message on Twitter asking people to pray for the man.
“Marie-Claire here – I’m fine. Thank you to all those who’ve reached out in concern. A few people have identified the man who attacked me. I understand the video is upsetting to watch, but please pray for the guy,” she said.
The young pro-life advocate also said this is not the first time she has been a target of violence.
“I’ve had teenage boys throw rocks at me, I’ve also had men saying, ‘How would you like it if I raped you?” she told Global News Canada. “My message to them would be that it doesn’t fulfill their goal, it turns me off from their message and the basis of a peaceful society is being able to discuss respectfully with each other.”
Bissonnette indicated that she was not the only person targeted Sunday during the Life Chains. In Mississagua, she said someone walked up to a pro-life advocate from behind and poured paint over his clothes while he was praying.
LifeNews has reported about dozens of threats, vandalism and other violence against pro-life advocates in the past year. These range from threats against prominent pro-life politicians like U.S. Reps. Chris Smith, Cathy McMorris Rodgers and Steve Scalise to a Missouri sidewalk counselor who had a gun pointed at him.
In September, a popular conservative blogger was under police protection after she received rape and death threats because of a pro-life tweet. In June, a Florida man who volunteers at Planned Parenthood was arrested after he allegedly threatened to kill pro-life U.S. Rep. Brian Mast’s children. Then in August, someone threatened to rape and kill the family of a pro-life advocate with Operation Rescue.
Within the past month, two Republican party offices also have been targeted. One in Illinois was vandalized with spraypaint, while local authorities said someone intentionally set fire to another in Wyoming.
Students for Life also has documented more than 40 incidents of vandalism alone in the past five years against its pro-life students groups. An interactive map displays the places where its clubs have been victims of vandalism.
