Pro-life Washington GOP lawmaker has his office firebombed – marking the SEVENTEENTH arson

A pro-life Republican politician had his office firebombed on Monday, the latest in a spate of attacks against pregnancy centers and pro-life officials in the wake of a bombshell leaked Supreme court draft opinion that would overturn Roe v Wade.

Andrew Barkis, a Republican representing the Olympia in the Washington state legislature, had his Olympia office attacked around 4 a.m.

It was not clear whether he was deliberately attacked for his beliefs. The same group of people were also seen ransacking a nearby antique center 20 minutes later. 

Two masked people were caught on a Ring camera installed outside the building breaking a window with a hammer, and throwing a lit flare into the building.

There were no injuries, and no one has claimed responsibility.

Monday’s attack was the 17th so far on pregnancy support clinics and offices of pro-life figures. 

The attacks have been spurred by the May 2 leaking of a draft Supreme Court decision on Roe v Wade, which indicated the nationwide right to abortion was about to be overturned.

The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) has warned of a rising risk of violence, ahead of the expected Supreme Court overturning of Roe v Wade. 

‘Threat actors have recently mobilized to violence due to factors such as personal grievances, reactions to current events, and adherence to violent extremist ideologies, including racially or ethnically motivated or anti-government/antiauthority violent extremism,’ said a National Terrorism Advisory System bulletin, issued on June 7.

‘Given a high-profile U.S. Supreme Court case about abortion rights, individuals who advocate both for and against abortion have, on public forums, encouraged violence, including against government, religious, and reproductive healthcare personnel and facilities, as well as those with opposing ideologies,’ the DHS alert said.

Two masked individuals are seen in the early hours of Monday walking up to Andrew Barkis’s office door. The person on the right smashed the door with a hammer; the individual to the left is throwing a lit flare inside

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The first person can be seen raising their right arm with a hammer, to smash through the door

The figure can be seen watching as the flare takes hold inside the building

A senior official, in the threat alert, warned that ‘going forward, we’re concerned that grievances related to restricting abortion access in general could fuel a broader response.’

Last week, in Buffalo, New York, attackers spray painted the slogan ‘Jane Was Here’ on the side of the building – a calling card of the activists from pro-choice group Jane’s Revenge.

Similar attacks were carried out in Washington DC on June 3, and in Madison, Wisconsin, on May 8.

There have also been multiple attacks in Texas and Oregon – the first was on May 3 in Austin, Texas. At least 10 states have been affected. 

Police are unsure if the Olympia attack was carried out by pro-choice agitators, and no one has claimed responsibility. 

Twenty minutes after the arson attack, three suspects – including the two seen at Barkis’s office – were seen breaking into Lighthouse Antiques, said Lt. Paul Lower of Olympia police.

The gang got away with $5,000 worth of goods, and broke a skylight estimated at $2,000, The Olympian reported.

‘Two of the three suspects are clearly the suspects from the flare-attempted arson,’ a police report reads, giving rise to suspicion that the attack on Barkis’s office may have been a distraction.

Yet JT Wilcox, the House minority leader for Washington state, said he was convinced his colleague had been attacked for his pro-life views.

Andrew Barkis, a Republican representative in Washington’s state legislature, is said to believe the attack on his office was deliberate

It also comes after a 26-year-old Californian man was arrested outside the home of Supreme Court Justice Brett Kavanaugh – a pro-life member of the court – and admitted he intended to kill Kavanaugh for his position on Roe v. Wade. 

Wilcox connected the attack on his colleague to this spate of threats – and said that Barkis will now be forced to permanently look over his shoulder.

‘An attack like this changes you forever,’ Wilcox tweeted. 

‘On the same day unhinged partisans publish a list including Andrew as an extremist, something we all know is BS. The graphic included a lit fuse. Sick.’

It was unclear what list he was referring to. 

Barkis has not commented, but Wilcox said his colleague believes he was deliberately targeted.

‘I think that this is clearly targeted, I don’t think it would be easy to make a case that this was a random event,’ Wilcox told MyNorthwest.com, noting the use of a ‘hammer and flare which people don’t just have on them.’ 

Jay Inslee, the Democrat governor of Washington, who opposes repealing Roe v Wade, also condemned the attack.

‘Such attempts at violence are abhorrent,’ Inslee said. 

‘We’re thankful no one was hurt. Hopefully, law enforcement is able to identify these individuals before they inflict any more harm.’

Last week a Christian anti-abortion group in a suburb of Buffalo, New York, had their offices firebombed and vandalized in what the company CEO called ‘pro-abortion Kristallnacht’.

CompassCare CEO Jim Harden is seen on Tuesday morning outside the firebombed offices of his company

CompassCare’s office in Amherst, a suburb of Buffalo, is pictured on Tuesday following the arson attack

The offices were burnt out in the firebombing, and two firefighters who responded were injured

The attackers left behind graffiti reading ‘Jane was here’ – believed to be a reference to the violent activist group Jane’s Revenge

The Buffalo organization, CompassCare, pointed out in a statement on Tuesday that the governor of New York, Kathy Hochul, has designated funds to protect abortion clinics but not to protect organizations like theirs.

‘Ironically, New York’s Governor not only ignored the violence but instead earmarked $35 million in taxpayer funds to increase security at abortion clinics,’ they said.

Jim Harden, the CEO, likened the attack on his facility to the beginning of the Holocaust.

‘This is the pro-abortion Kristallnacht,’ said the father of ten.

‘Because of this act of violence, the needs of women facing unplanned pregnancy will go unmet and babies will die.

‘I wonder if Gov. Hochul will veto the Pregnancy Center Investigation Bill?

‘I wonder if Attorney General Letitia James will investigate these cowardly criminals?

‘CompassCare will rebuild because women deserve better. CompassCare will not stop serving because pre-born boys and girls deserve protection.’

Police in Amherst, the Buffalo suburb, have launched an investigation and are treating the case as an act of arson.

Brian Kulpa, Amherst town supervisor, said: ‘With reports that this fire was set intentionally, I am disgusted that lives were put at risk.’

A Washington DC site, the Capitol Hill Crisis Pregnancy Center, was attacked on June 3

Two firefighters who responded to the scene were injured and treated for minor injuries, the Amherst police department.

‘Our thoughts are with the firefighters as they recover,’ Kulpa said.

‘A violent response is never the answer. There is no place in Amherst for such attacks.

‘Amherst police are working with our partners to continue its investigation to hold those responsible accountable for their actions.’

Jane’s Revenge has claimed responsibility for throwing Molotov cocktails into the offices of the Wisconsin Family Action in Madison, as well as vandalizing a pro-life center in Seattle.

The group derives its name from an underground abortion network operating in Chicago in the late 1960s and early ’70s called the Jane Collective.