MADISON, Wis. – Wisconsin police are investigate possible arson after the fire broke out early on Sunday in the office of a prominent anti-abortion group and a threat was spray-painted on the group’s building.
Wisconsin Family Action President Julaine Appling said police notified her at about 7:45 a.m. when she was at church in Watertown, Wisconsin, about 48 miles west of Milwaukee. Police received reports of a fire in Appling’s office around 6 a.m
“A molotov cocktail, which did not catch fire, was thrown inside the building. It also appears that a separate fire started in response,” investigators wrote Sunday in a report on case.
Madison Police Chief Shon Barnes in a statement said the department is investigating the fire as an arson.
Wisconsin’s Family Action has for years spurred Wisconsin and federal legislators to outlaw abortion. The incident took place a week after a Leaked draft The U.S. Supreme Court decision suggests that the court is considering a decision that could overturn the landmark 1973 Roe v. Wade that establish a constitutional right to abortion.
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If that happens, one The law of 1849 banned most abortions will go into effect in Wisconsin.
According to the Guttmacher Institute, 22 states, including Wisconsin, have bans or could ban abortions if Roe’s lawsuit against Wade is overturned with “activation law.”
“If abortion isn’t safe, neither are you” is scrawled on the outside wall of Wisconsin Family Action’s offices in Madison – a threat found by police responding to a call early in the day. on Sunday the fire alarm inside the building on the north side of the capital city.
“Honestly, I knew right away what happened,” Appling said, referring to her initial conversations with police officers.
“You know, you can disagree with me. And I don’t mind disagreeing with me. But to threaten the safety of my team because we have different views on an issue – one It’s important, I’ll give you that. Don’t give you the confidence to threaten my life, then turn around and damage property,” Appling said.
“If someone was in that office, I don’t think anyone would have been killed, but you would get hurt just from flying glass.”
Wisconsin Governor, Tony Evers, in a statement condemned the act of violence against the group.
“We reject violence against any person for disagreeing with another’s point of view. Violence is not the way forward. Hurting others is never the answer,” Evers said. in a statement. “We will resist Roe’s subversion and attacks on reproductive rights by leading with empathy and compassion.”
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Wisconsin Senator Ron Johnson tweeted, “This attack is heinous and should be condemned by all.”
In a statement, Madison Mayor Satya Rhodes-Conway said the city “believes strongly in the right to free speech, but this right must be exercised non-violently by all parties in the growing debate this harsh.”
Barnes said local police investigators have notified federal authorities about the incident.
“Our department has and continues to support people to be able to speak freely and openly about their beliefs. But we feel that any act of violence, including the destruction of property, is the sole responsibility of our community. property, do not support any cause,” the police chief said.
Appling said she has yet to assess the extent of the damage to the offices or whether the organization would move to a space with fewer windows.
In 2016, a Planned Parenthood clinic in Appleton, Wisconsin, closed after it burned down four years earlier and following a deadly attack at the hospital. a clinic in Colorado.
“I don’t live in fear. And I don’t look over my shoulder very often. I’ve had death threats at my home and other problems. This, this surprised me,” Appling said.
Statistics collected by the National Abortion Federation show recent increase intrusion and obstruction of the clinic, death threats, and mail and internet harassment. Recently, federal officials warned clinics and local law enforcement about the potential for violence at clinics and at protests.
Follow Molly Beck on Twitter at @MollyBeck.
