Arsonist Firebombs Pro-Life State Legislator’s Office

State | Micaiah Bilger | Jun 14, 2022 | 4:15PM | Olympia, Washington

An attempted arson and vandalism reported at a pro-life politician’s office early Monday in Washington state adds to growing concerns about violence targeting people who work to protect unborn babies from abortion.

The incident is the fifth arson or attempted arson against pro-life advocates since news broke in May about a leaked draft ruling showing the U.S. Supreme Court overturning Roe v. Wade. Dozens of churches and pro-life organizations also have been targets of vandalism, threats and harassment, and pro-abortion radicals are threatening more violence if the court does overturn Roe this summer.

My Northwest reports pro-life Republican state Rep. Andrew Barkis’s office building was vandalized just after 4 a.m. Monday in Olympia when two masked individuals broke a window with a hammer and threw a lit flare into the building.

“Fortunately the flare landed on a masonry floor and the building survived,” House Minority Leader J.T. Wilcox wrote on Twitter, posting a security video of the crime. “I think that this is clearly targeted, I don’t think it would be easy to make a case that this was a random event.”

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The building houses Barkis’s business and the House Republican campaign offices.

The Olympia Police Department and Washington State Patrol both are investigating, according to the McClatchy News Service.

Barkis, R-Lacey, has sponsored several pro-life bills in the state legislature, including one this year to protect unborn babies with Down syndrome from discriminatory abortions. However, it failed to pass the Democrat-controlled legislature.

Though it is not clear if his office was targeted because of his pro-life record, it is suspicious given the spate of arsons, vandalisms, threats and harassment targeting pro-lifers in recent weeks.

Here’s more from the report:

Wilcox told McClatchy Monday that neither he nor Barkis believe it was random vandalism because he thinks a hammer and a flare aren’t just something people have with them. Wilcox said they are unsure why they were targeted.

Another incident last week is concerning for Wilcox, he said. Last Friday a shooting occurred outside the home of Rep. Peter Abbarno, a Republican from Centralia. Wilcox does not believe the incidents are connected and he does not believe the shooting was directed at Abbarno.

“Two out of 41 [House Republicans] having a felony committed in front of them or their property seems a little odd for five days,” Wilcox said, adding that he sent an email this week to lawmakers about protecting their and their families’ safety.

In a post on Twitter, he said the crime happened on “the same day unhinged partisans publish a list including Andrew as an extremist, something we all know is BS.” It is not clear what list Wilcox was referring to.

Washington Gov. Jay Inslee, a pro-abortion Democrat, condemned the violence, as did many other politicians from both parties, according to My Northwest.

“Such attempts at violence are abhorrent,” Inslee said. “We’re thankful no one was hurt. Hopefully, law enforcement is able to identify these individuals before they inflict any more harm.”

The report is the latest in a growing string of attacks on pro-life individuals, organizations and churches. Four others also have been targets of arson since May, and dozens have been vandalized. According to the LifeNews count, there have been approximately 60 incidents since the Supreme Court leak.

Last week, an alleged assassin with a gun was arrested outside the home of Supreme Court Justice Brett Kavanaugh after he said he planned to kill the justice, according to police.

Reports since the leak include:

Michigan – Naked Protester Disrupts Catholic Mass to Promote Killing Babies in Abortions

Iowa – Abortion Activists Brag About Vandalizing Another Pregnancy Center

Alaska – Pregnancy Center Vandalized with Nails, Pro-Abortion Graffiti (EWTN Ireland)

Oregon – Abortion Activists Firebomb Another Pro-Life Pregnancy Center, Fourth Bombing in Weeks

New York – Topless Abortion Rights Protesters Storm Court At New York Liberty WNBA Game (Huffington Post)

New York – Statues of Lúcia dos Santos and Jacinta Marto smashed and decapitated at Our Lady of Sorrows Catholic Church (ABC 7 New York)

New York – Tabernacle stolen, Holy Eucharist thrown on floor, statues of angels on the altar decapitated and destroyed at St. Augustine Catholic Church, Brooklyn (Catholic News Agency)

Michigan – Police Arrest Abortion Activist for Allegedly Disrupting Michigan House Session (Bridge Michigan)

California – Abortion Activist Arrested Trying to Approach Joe Biden to Urge Him to Promote Abortion

Maryland – Police Arrest Man with Weapon outside Supreme Court Justice Kavanaugh’s Home, Allegedly Threatened to Murder Him (Washington Post)