A Mother’s Day arson fire damaged an office in Madison, Wisconsin, housing a group that lobbies against abortion rights (see story here). A passerby spotted the fire and reported it around 6 a.m. Sunday.
Investigators said molotov cocktails were thrown through the windows, and a threatening graffiti message was spray-painted on an exterior wall (see photo below).
Gov. Tony Evers, a Democrat, said, “We reject violence against any person for disagreeing with another’s view. Violence is not the way forward. Hurting others is never the answer. We will work against overturning Roe and attacks on reproductive rights by leading with empathy and compassion.”
Madison’s mayor said the city “believes strongly in the right to free speech, but it must be exercised nonviolently by all sides in this increasingly contentious debate.”
Investigators have no suspects and it’s unknown whether the arsonist is a local, a student, or someone out of area.