Aarhus orders anti-abortion group to remove stickers from city
Aarhus Municipality has given an anti-abortion protest group 48 hours to remove stickers from public areas in the city.
The group, Retten til Liv (Right to Life), placed 20,000 of its stickers in various places around Aarhus during the weekend, reports broadcaster DR.
One version of the stickers pictures a foetus with a speech bubble containing the words “Pssst! After 8 weeks my body is ready, now it just needs to grow!”
The group has now been informed by Aarhus Municipality that the stickers must be removed.
The order is not connected to the political message of the stickers, according to a spokesperson for the municipality.
“We generally do this when city property is used in an inappropriate way,” Kim Gulvad Svendsen told DR.
“We do not want stickers on our property, and when we can see who is putting them up, we contact them. They will be given some time to remove their things – 48 hours – or we will do it and send them the bill,” he continued.
While the stickers have been present on lampposts, pillars and other city fixtures for several days, The Local’s reporter in Aarhus was able to observe on Tuesday morning that a large proportion of the stickers had now been defaced, either by being partly peeled off or with text crossed out in permanent ink.
Photo: Michael Barrett
Ellen Højlund Wibe, national secretary with the anti-abortion organisation, told DR that the demands made by Aarhus Municipality had no legal basis.
“We have not placed objects on roads or thoroughfares. We have placed stickers on objects that are already there. We will remove them if they can show us a paragraph that clearly demonstrates we have done something wrong,” Wibe told DR.
Svendsen told the broadcaster the law backed up the municipality’s position.
“According to our lawyers, we have the authority to say that they may not commit vandalism against city fixtures,” he said.
But Wibe stressed her conviction that the Right to Life organisation had not breached any rules.
“Vandalism is a strong term to use, I think. We have not damaged anything. I think in general it is a paradox that stickers are a bigger problem than 40 unborn human lives being ended every day,” she said.
The organisation will decide on Tuesday whether to submit to the demands made by Aarhus Municipality, according to DR’s report.
READ ALSO: Aarhus to pay back 341,000 kroner in parking fines
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The group, Retten til Liv (Right to Life), placed 20,000 of its stickers in various places around Aarhus during the weekend, reports broadcaster DR.
One version of the stickers pictures a foetus with a speech bubble containing the words “Pssst! After 8 weeks my body is ready, now it just needs to grow!”
The group has now been informed by Aarhus Municipality that the stickers must be removed.
The order is not connected to the political message of the stickers, according to a spokesperson for the municipality.
“We generally do this when city property is used in an inappropriate way,” Kim Gulvad Svendsen told DR.
“We do not want stickers on our property, and when we can see who is putting them up, we contact them. They will be given some time to remove their things – 48 hours – or we will do it and send them the bill,” he continued.
While the stickers have been present on lampposts, pillars and other city fixtures for several days, The Local’s reporter in Aarhus was able to observe on Tuesday morning that a large proportion of the stickers had now been defaced, either by being partly peeled off or with text crossed out in permanent ink.
Photo: Michael Barrett
Ellen Højlund Wibe, national secretary with the anti-abortion organisation, told DR that the demands made by Aarhus Municipality had no legal basis.
“We have not placed objects on roads or thoroughfares. We have placed stickers on objects that are already there. We will remove them if they can show us a paragraph that clearly demonstrates we have done something wrong,” Wibe told DR.
Svendsen told the broadcaster the law backed up the municipality’s position.
“According to our lawyers, we have the authority to say that they may not commit vandalism against city fixtures,” he said.
But Wibe stressed her conviction that the Right to Life organisation had not breached any rules.
“Vandalism is a strong term to use, I think. We have not damaged anything. I think in general it is a paradox that stickers are a bigger problem than 40 unborn human lives being ended every day,” she said.
The organisation will decide on Tuesday whether to submit to the demands made by Aarhus Municipality, according to DR’s report.
READ ALSO: Aarhus to pay back 341,000 kroner in parking fines
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