A 42-year-old transgender activist was arrested after an incident in which a pro-life March for Life was disrupted on Wednesday.
Noah Cleveland faces one count of disorderly conduct, Capitol Police said, according to the New York Post.
The Post said that it was unable to determine if Cleveland had been arraigned on the charge.
Video of the Richmond, Virginia, incident shows a man with a transgender flag running into the anti-abortion marchers.
BREAKING: Protestor with trans flag assaults some of our @StudentsforLife students marching at the Virginia March for Life in Richmond.
Will he be held accountable? pic.twitter.com/m1ffG11hel
— Kristan Hawkins (@KristanHawkins) February 21, 2024
“We were nearing the end of the march and chanting, ‘We are the pro-life generation’ and ‘We will abolish abortion’ with our megaphones,” Kelsey McCormick, a freshman who attends Liberty University said, according to the Daily Signal.
“Then I see the trans activist running and jumping, and waving the flag, come smash into the group and go after the big banner. The activist was also making a screaming/barking noise,” she said.
A trans activist ASSAULTED us at the Virginia March for Life today. Not very ladylike… pic.twitter.com/w1X1CXBjDG
— Savanna Deretich (@SavannaDeretich) February 21, 2024
Savanna Deretich, the Students for Life Action Government Affairs Coordinator, posted video of the incident online, claiming the man involved had been connected to similar incidents in the past.
“He came rushing forward, chanting something, and I knew he was going to attack so I pulled out my phone to record it,” she said, according to the Daily Mail.
“He sprinted up to our people, knocked the glasses off people’s heads, dashed through our march sign, and kept running,” she said, adding that the individual she saw was later arrested.
Honored today to speak at the Virginia @March_for_Life! Thank you to all who came out this morning to stand for life. We must – and we will – continue to advocate for those who cannot speak for themselves. pic.twitter.com/o6tcl7F6tq
— Lt. Governor of Virginia – Winsome Earle-Sears (@WinsomeSears) February 21, 2024
Speaking to the crowd at a rally before the march, Virginia Lt. Gov. Winsome Earle-Sears spoke of the unborn, according to the Richmond Times-Dispatch.
“It is life in the womb … so I say to you, let us do the right thing,” she said.
“Let’s pray that hearts will be changed. Let’s pray that our legislators will change and the laws will change,” she said, according to the Associated Press.
Ashley Wiver said she wants other women to have the courage to do as she did, according to WRLH-TV.
“I had an unplanned pregnancy when I was in college, and I chose adoption for my son, although I felt the pressure to have an abortion,” she said. “I’ve just had an extreme passion to let women know that there is a better option, there’s a better choice, a choice that gives life not only for their child but for them as well.”
This article appeared originally on The Western Journal.