CNA Staff, Jun 7, 2025 /
11:00 am
Police in Brussels arrested pro-life activist Lois McLatchie Miller and child protection advocate Chris Elston on Wednesday for peacefully displaying signs that advocated for the protection of children against transgender medical treatments.
The incident occurred when Miller, a Scottish senior legal communications officer with ADF International, and Elston, a Canadian pro-child activist known as “Billboard Chris”, were surrounded by an angry mob as they held signs that read: “Children are never born in the wrong body” and “Children cannot consent to puberty blockers.”
The pair were in the EU capital engaging members of the European Parliament about the dangers of puberty blockers for children.
Belgian police arrested the duo amid the nonviolent demonstration. Officers took them to separate police stations, where they were ordered to remove their clothes and subjected to searches.
They were released after several hours in custody with no charges filed, though police informed them that their signs would be destroyed.
Elston said police initially told them they needed a permit and were later told they would be charged with “disturbing the peace.”
“I just can’t believe that we live in a world where we were the bad guys in this situation,” Miller said in a video posted to social media after her release.
Speaking of the police, she said: “They saw that we were the minority, that we were being attacked … Instead of standing up for our rights … they took us away, and let the mob go free.”
On June 6, Miller’s husband and fellow pro-life advocate Calum Miller told EWTN News Nightly that Europe needs to “wake up” and that Americans have a “profound role” in helping Europeans preserve their basic freedoms.
He also called for the sanction of politicians and authorities involved in the assault on free speech in Europe.
Paul Coleman, the executive director of ADF International, condemned the arrests, stating: “The Belgian authorities not only failed to uphold the fundamental right to speak freely, they turned the power of the state against those who were peacefully exercising their rights at the behest of a mob.”
Coleman described the incident as a disturbing display of authoritarianism in the heart of Europe, emphasizing that ADF International is exploring all legal options to defend free speech rights in Belgium.
“We are grateful our colleague has been safely released, but we are deeply concerned by her treatment at the hands of the police in Brussels,” he added.
After his release, Elston said activists “are not going to stop” talking about the dangers of puberty blockers for children. “We are going to keep having these conversations.”
The arrests come amid tensions over free expression in Belgium. Just a year ago, a Brussels mayor attempted to shut down the National Conservatism Conference, citing ideological disagreements with its speakers.
ADF International intervened with emergency legal action that allowed the event to take place. The organization is vowing to challenge the recent arrests as well.
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“We will not stand by while peaceful citizens are criminalized for speaking out on vital issues – especially when it’s the safety and wellbeing of children at stake,” Coleman said.
Amira Abuzeid is a senior editor at Catholic News Agency.
