An Idaho coffee shop apparently locked down its social media accounts after getting backlash for kicking out a pro-life group from its business.
The owner of the Wydaho Roasters Coffee House in the city of Driggs confronted the group and compared it to the Ku Klux Klan, according to video posted by Kristan Hawkins, CEO of the Pro-Life Generation and other organizations.
‘The backlash only reminds us that we’re making an impact. We will keep showing up. We will keep speaking the truth. And we will keep fighting for Life.’
Hawkins said she and her group were acting peacefully when owner Jim Sheehan told them they had to leave over their pro-life advocacy.
“I don’t want this group meeting here,” Sheehan tells them in the video posted by Hawkins.
“Sir, we’re just meeting for the first meeting,” a woman protests.
“I don’t care! Go to the public library! This is my place of business,” he responds.
The woman and Sheehan argue in the edited video before he compares pro-lifers to the KKK.
“I did a lot of work to get people on the ballot so women would have the right to choose [abortions] in the state of Idaho, and this is something I do not support, nor does my wife. And it’s our business, so we have that choice,” he says at one point.
“It’s like if the KKK asked to meet here, I would say no,” he adds later in the video.
“So you’re saying pro-lifers are like the KKK? Is that what you’re saying?” the woman replies.
“In my world, it’s the same sort of concept,” he responds.
“I’ve made point clear. I asked you guys not to meet here.”
Earlier in the video, Sheehan admits that he said, “Everybody is welcome.”
Others online posted screenshots showing that the social media accounts for the business were locked down after the video was posted to social media.
“They compared US to the KKK … even though Planned Parenthood’s founder, Margaret Sanger, spoke for the KKK. We paid for our food. We weren’t protesting or disrupting anyone,” wrote Hawkins on social media.
“We were simply sitting together having a peaceful conversation. We were kicked out because we’re pro-life and work to protect babies. But we aren’t backing down. The backlash only reminds us that we’re making an impact. We will keep showing up. We will keep speaking the truth. And we will keep fighting for Life.”
The Sheehans’ coffee shop had previously hosted a meet-and-greet event for an Idaho candidate who is proudly a member of the Democratic Socialists of America. The shop also held a vigil for Renée Good and Alex Pretti, the left-wing activists who were shot and killed while protesting against Immigration and Customs Enforcement.
RELATED: Social media erupts with fury at liberal editor justifying harassment of JD Vance’s children at Disneyland
Sheehan responded to a request for comment from Blaze News and said that the video had been “selectively edited to skew the interaction” he had with the group.
“They were not kicked out,” Sheehan claimed in an emailed statement.
“I asked them to find another place to hold their meeting — she repeatedly asked if I was kicking them out, and I didn’t respond one way or the other — not sure how I would kick out dozens of people,” he added in a second emailed statement. “Typically if someone want[s] to use a private business the[y] seek permission — I don’t align with their agenda, and I made that clear in my request the day before that they not hold their meeting at Wydaho — they ignored [the request] because this was about starting a controversy.”
One user noted that the shop had a lawn sign reading “EVERYONE WELCOME” and posted an image taken from Yelp.
“Connecting, that’s the ultimate reason we have this place,” Sheehan said in an interview about his shop from May. “I want it to be a beacon that everyone is welcome here.”
Like Blaze News? Bypass the censors, sign up for our newsletters, and get stories like this direct to your inbox. Sign up here!
Read the full article here
