A group of 200 protesters tried to storm Alder Hey Hospital on Monday after EU judges rejected Alfie Evans’ parents’ final legal plea for his life.
The European Court of Human Rights rejected Tom Evans and Kate James’ application to appeal the final ruling of the UK Supreme Court, which ruled that doctors at Alder Hey will proceed with plans to take Alfie off life support and end his life, according to Mirror. Protesters from a group of supporters called Alfie’s Army attempted to storm Alder Hey Hospital, where Alfie is being held, in response to the ruling and to Facebook posts from Tom saying that the hospital planned to end his life support at 12 p.m.
“They proposed to kill our son at 12 today and have now breached there (sic) order and are giving us till half 1,” Tom wrote in a Facebook post. “Please pray.”
Protesters blocked the road to the hospital for about 15 minutes, then ran toward the entrance to the hospital. Police barred their way before any of them could gain entry. The protesters then regrouped 100 yards away and chanted “Save Alfie.”
Inside the hospital, Alfie’s family confronted police officers who had set guard at Alfie’s room to prevent anyone from removing him from the hospital. They reportedly shoved and shouted at them, pushing them out of the room and calling them “murderers” and “scum.” Alfie’s uncle, Daniel, posted video of the incident on social media.
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The hospital missed the proposed time to end Alfie’s life and was therefore found to be in breach of the court approved plans. Representatives of Alder Hey were required to return to court in order to set another time for Alfie’s death. Flo Hoy, an administrator for the ‘Alfie’s Army Official’ Facebook page, later said that Tom and Kate’s lawyer from the Christian Legal Centre “was able to get the execution temporarily stopped.”
“We are thankful that our lawyer Mr Diamond was able to get the execution temporarily stopped. There are negotiations happening right now and we ask for your urgent prayers that God would show us the way to end this nightmare, in a way that is good for everyone and allows Alfie to go. Thank you for your support and please stay close to us,” the post read.
Details of the altered plans have not yet been made public, but according to LifeSite News and several posts on the Alfie’s Army Facebook page, hospital staff plans to administer a sedative cocktail of midazolam and fentanyl to Alfie after removing him from life support. While that mixture is sometimes administered to healthy adults before medical procedures, midazolam in particular “may cause serious or life-threatening breathing problems such as shallow, slowed, or temporarily stopped breathing that may lead to permanent brain injury or death.” That fact has led some in Alfie’s Army to assert that the mixture is not meant to simply make Alfie comfortable, but to ensure his death.
The Italian government announced later on Monday that Alfie had been granted Italian citizenship in the hopes that it would allow him to be moved to the Vatican’s Bambino Gesu Pediatric hospital for further treatment.
“Foreign Minister Angelino Alfano and Interior Minister Marco Minniti have granted citizenship to little Alfie,” a statement from Italy’s foreign ministry read, according to ANSA. “In this way the Italian government hopes that being an Italian citizen will enable the immediate transfer of the child to Italy.”
Tom also said that he and Kate have appealed to the Queen to intervene on Alfie’s behalf, saying that Alfie’s family would do whatever is necessary to save him.
“We have today petitioned Her Majesty the Queen about Alfie’s situation, and will do as we promised. We will do whatever it takes to defend Alfie’s life; and we will do that within the law,” Tom’s post read.
Tom announced that the protesters would not interfere with hospital business, would clear from the road, and would allow hospital staff to do their jobs “and unless they attempt to harm Alfie, they have nothing to fear.” He also stated that he would comply with the court order not to release the names of any doctor involved in Alfie’s removal from life support, but promised that he would start private prosecution of each doctor that has a hand in Alfie’s death.
“You say that to withdraw life support from a sick child is a humane medical act – I say it is murder.
You say that using force to prevent me from trying to save his life is no more than upholding the law – I say it is murder.
You say you are acting in the best interests of the child. Perhaps King Herod used that phrase, too.
I will not allow you to kill my son just because a bunch of smug lawyers in London has concluded this would be good for him.
If you make my son die tomorrow, you will face justice from a jury of your twelve countrymen in this word, and a terrible judgement of God in the world to come,” Tom’s post concluded.
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