George Washington University College Democrats Vandalize Pro-Life Display

From http://lifenews.com/state3801.html

George Washington University College Democrats Vandalize Pro-Life Display

by Steven Ertelt
LifeNews.com Editor
February 2, 2009

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Washington, DC (LifeNews.com) -- A George Washington University college Democrats group is facing accusations that some of its members vandalized a pro-life display. A campus affiliate of the pro-life conservative group Young America's Foundation erected the pro-life display last month featuring crosses to remember babies killed in abortions.

However, members of the College Republican group, which shares a student office with the Democrats, found some of the crosses in the office last Monday.

The crosses were scattered throughout the joint office and some of them were pinned upside down on a bulletin board and anti-Christian messages were scrawled on them. Others had condoms affixed to them.

Brandon Hines, communication director for the College Republicans, first noticed the vandalism and he took pictures and emailed them to other members of his group and posted them on his blog site.

YAF president Rob Lockwood learned of the vandalism from the blog site and talked with the GW Hatchet, the student newspaper, today about the incident.

He said a New York-based church had donated the crosses for the group to use to advance the pro-life perspective on campus.

"It's completely inappropriate," he said of the vandalism. "It's private property and disrespectful on a number of levels. If they want to do that in their apartment they would have the right to, but these were on display in a public student office."

The hatchet indicated the College Democrats group released a statement saying an unnamed member of its organization admitted to the vandalism and apologized for destroying the pro-life display.

"We would never as an organization sanction such reprehensible conduct and we are tremendously upset that the organization's trust was violated by a member who chose to act otherwise," the statement said.

Lockwood told the newspaper that the incident was reported to campus police and said the officials now have the crosses in their possession.

Meanwhile, GWU spokesman Tracy Schario says college officials have identified the student and the Code of Student Conduct will be used to punish the person.

University President Steven Knapp condemned the vandalism in a statement.

"Such actions are unacceptable and utterly incompatible with the spirit of mutual respect that is essential to the life of an academic community," he said.