Young person’s account of harassment and violence at WYD

[prettiefly]

From Fr. Z’s blog:

In Madrid during WYD the were no lack of twisted, benighted wing-nut protesters harassing the pilgrims and young people.
One of the readers here has a daughter who was in the midst of the unrest the protesters caused. She wrote to me about her daughter’s description of what happened. I asked her permission, and through her her daughter’s to post the young lady’s account here, which I believe was posted on her Facebook page.

Read her account here:
wdtprs.com/blog/2011/08/must-read-young-persons-account-harass-harassment-and-violence-at-wyd/

 

[NewEnglandPriest]

The headline is a bit misleading. She sought out an antiCatholic rally, which according to one comment on the blog was 5-6 miles away from WYD, and then knelt in the middle of it praying the rosary. After a physical fight broke out and she was led to safety she decided to go back to the edge of the rally. Not a whole lot of smart moves. Given that she went off to find a pub after all the events it doesn’t appear she was too scared by the incident(s).

 

[sojo]

Speaking as a mother, if my daughter left the organized and well protected WYD event area, sought out an anti-Catholic protest and plopped herself down in the middle of the crowd to pray knowing it would insight trouble… and while two of her smarter friends refused to go there, and then continued a 2nd rosary, and then after the riot started fled and ended up in a pub…

She would be hearing from me. There are times to be a martyr, but the kids got the anti-Catholics all riled up and totally messed up the crowd control of the Madrid police which was carefully keeping the Anti-Catholics well away from the WYD festivities.

Kids.

 

[sojo]

Speaking as a mother, if my daughter left the organized and well protected WYD event area, sought out an anti-Catholic protest and plopped herself down in the middle of the crowd to pray knowing it would incite trouble… and while two of her smarter friends refused to go there, and then continued a 2nd rosary, and then after the riot started fled and ended up in a pub…

She would be hearing from me. There are times to be a martyr, but the kids got the anti-Catholics all riled up and totally messed up the crowd control of the Madrid police which was carefully keeping the Anti-Catholics well away from the WYD festivities.

Kids.

 

[GEddie]

As a 3-time and now overage WYD’er, I’d say whenever you have 1.5 million people congregated, stuff will happen. Part of the WYD remarkableness is that so little negative stuff happens. His Holiness truthfully is salt and light.

ICXC NIKA.

 

[Pfaffenhoffen]

From Fr. Z’s blog:

In Madrid during WYD the were no lack of twisted, benighted wing-nut protesters harassing the pilgrims and young people.
One of the readers here has a daughter who was in the midst of the unrest the protesters caused. She wrote to me about her daughter’s description of what happened. I asked her permission, and through her her daughter’s to post the young lady’s account here, which I believe was posted on her Facebook page.

Read her account here:
wdtprs.com/blog/2011/08/must-read-young-persons-account-harass-harassment-and-violence-at-wyd/

http://wdtprs.com/images2/11_08_19_WYD_01.png

http://wdtprs.com/images2/11_08_19_WYD_02.png

I read the statement, and do not think it was wise for a young girl to go and confront God-knows-who-they-were.

Wherever the pope goes, the usually crowd of lesbians, guys, pro-abortion, pedophile-chanting out-of-tune singers, and whatever grievances in the world there is, all of them join to scream and shout. Here, in Germany, I saw on TV as much of these dozens of guys as of the 1 1/2 million youngesters. So, they know that they have airt-time, for stupidly Tvs want to show “both sides” of the subject, so it is their moment of glory…

This is a police matter and young people should not deal with it for it is dangerous.

Expect the same on next Papal Visit.

 

[music2]

The headline is a bit misleading. She sought out an antiCatholic rally, which according to one comment on the blog was 5-6 miles away from WYD, and then knelt in the middle of it praying the rosary. After a physical fight broke out and she was led to safety she decided to go back to the edge of the rally. Not a whole lot of smart moves. Given that she went off to find a pub after all the events it doesn’t appear she was too scared by the incident(s).

:clapping:

 

[wisdomseeker]

From Fr. Z’s blog:

In Madrid during WYD the were no lack of twisted, benighted wing-nut protesters harassing the pilgrims and young people.
One of the readers here has a daughter who was in the midst of the unrest the protesters caused. She wrote to me about her daughter’s description of what happened. I asked her permission, and through her her daughter’s to post the young lady’s account here, which I believe was posted on her Facebook page.

Read her account here:
wdtprs.com/blog/2011/08/must-read-young-persons-account-harass-harassment-and-violence-at-wyd/

http://wdtprs.com/images2/11_08_19_WYD_01.png

http://wdtprs.com/images2/11_08_19_WYD_02.png

She should not have gone there. that is wrong.

 

[Mungling]

Wasn’t it Shakespeare who said that the greater part of valor is discretion? I really can’t deny that what the young woman chose to do was incredibly brave, but very stupid too. She could have been really seriously hurt, let alone the fact that she may have incited a riot.

Still, it was pretty gutsy. I hate to admit it but I’m a little impressed. Still not recommended.

 

[puzzleannie]

I also have read all the postings from our participants.
if the girl left the WYD area and her group she violated the aggreement she made with the group who sponsored her so has no grounds for complaint

the participants are being well protected by police and protestors are kept away at a safe distance, so no one needs to encounter them unless they seek out a confrontation

 

[mtbender]

I can’t say it was a smart move, but I have to agree with Mungling - gutsy move, and I respect that. Age wasn’t mentioned (or at least I didn’t catch it) but for a young women to feel compelled to stand up for our faith in such a way is kind of inspiring.

Best approach, maybe not – but I doubt she sat down saying let’s see if we can get these people to fight… Assumption on my part, but only her and God really know that answer. The violence was from intolerant people, not from some young lady praying.

As a parent, I wouldn’t be too happy – but her lack of common sense doesn’t negate how noble her actions (depending on intent) were.

Just want to point out, by the psot, there was already some degree of Catholic presence or counter-protest there.

 

[NewEnglandPriest]

I also have read all the postings from our participants.
if the girl left the WYD area and her group she violated the aggreement she made with the group who sponsored her so has no grounds for complaint

I don’t think she was complaining. For goodness sake she went off to find a pub after all the events! I think this is a case of a girl probably around late high school or college age who posted about something that happened to her on facebook as a way of sharing it with friends. Adults saw it and decided to use it for their own agenda and blow it out of proportion.

 

[Fink]

…the participants are being well protected by police and protestors are kept away at a safe distance, so no one needs to encounter them unless they seek out a confrontation

Good on her!

Because of it, the enemy exposed themselves for the foul-mouthed, uncivilised, gutter-minded types that they are!

 

[Skeptic92]

The headline is a bit misleading. She sought out an antiCatholic rally, which according to one comment on the blog was 5-6 miles away from WYD, and then knelt in the middle of it praying the rosary. After a physical fight broke out and she was led to safety she decided to go back to the edge of the rally. Not a whole lot of smart moves. Given that she went off to find a pub after all the events it doesn’t appear she was too scared by the incident(s).

Sol was the main square for the evening events at WYD, it’s the central square of Madrid (next to plaza mayor), it has all the main transport routes, and easiest way to walk anywhere around central Madrid, 5-6 miles? more like 5-6 minutes from WYD. Protests spilled out to by my Hostel (about a 5 minute walk from Sol), it got half way violent, many pilgrims chanting in support of the Pope, praying, kissing their crucifixes as anti-Catholic signs were pushed into our faces, Bishops and Priests were spat on for simply saying their office (or dressing in clerical gear).

I’m sorry to say that the blog comment was misleading and incredibly erroneous, the Protests were off and on from Wednesday to Friday ( I am unsure if there was any protests over the weekend, as we were then at the Cuatro Vientos), mainly around Sol and central Madrid, pilgrims from my group got caught up in what was almost a flash mob of protesters (one of them had to go to hospital, dislocated elbow), what you could tell though, is that these very angry protesters wasn’t effecting the mood of WYD, it was still a time for celebration, it seemed that the protests brought more pilgrims to the streets, in open defiance to the protesters attempts at intimidation.

 

[wynnejj]

I’m a little disappointed at the majority of the posts here that decry anti-intimidation efforts by gutsy kids who refuse to have their religious freedom curtailed in society. When the sacrifice of the Mass is relegated to the catecombs, you will wish that you had employed some passive-aggressive techniques to counter anti-Christian forces that takes God out of the public square and the protection of law. The blog is about not taking threats to your religious freedom lying down, and I agree wholeheartedly.