Orthodox Pro-Life Volunteer Attacked in Queens
Founder of local ministry says he avoided retaliation to preserve Christian witness.
QUEENS, NY — An Orthodox pro-life volunteer was assaulted and robbed of his phone outside an abortion facility in Queens on Saturday, April 18, prompting a police investigation.
Dimitri Baranov, founder of the St. John the Forerunner Orthodox Pro-Life Society in New York, was attacked by two individuals described as supporters of Planned Parenthood shortly after arriving early for a scheduled prayer service led by Fr. Micah Breland of the Orthodox Church in America (OCA).
According to a release sent to the Union of Orthodox Journalists of America by the organization, Baranov "spoke with two women who were greeting 'patients' at the entrance — Planned Parenthood often places staff outside to welcome those coming to murder their preborn children so they do not change their minds when they see pro-life volunteers offering help and information... Within minutes, a woman ran up shouting, 'Did you record me?' She grabbed his phone and threw it forcefully onto the sidewalk. A man with her helped her leave the scene. Dimitri continued standing with his sign and tried to call the police, but his phone had been badly damaged, and the call repeatedly dropped."
A short time later, the same individuals returned and demanded that Baranov hand over his phone before physically attacking him, ripping his sign away, taking his phone from his pocket, and driving away.
Despite the assault, Baranov said he made a deliberate decision not to respond physically.
“I deliberately chose to avoid engaging in a physical confrontation for several reasons," he said. "First, I did not want to injure anyone or cause harm. If that had happened, many people would have focused on that rather than on the fact that it would have been self-defense, and it could cast a shadow on the Christian witness to the value of human life. Second, frankly, even a small physical contact on my part could have been used against me — depending on how it might appear on a random camera. That is something I want to avoid, especially because I have an open immigration case in the United States. I work legally and pay taxes, but my path to citizenship has been long, so I prefer to avoid anything that could harm my case. There were surveillance cameras around, and I memorized the license plate, so I was confident the police would be able to identify the offenders.”
A prayer service for the end of abortion proceeded as planned about an hour later. In remarks following the service, Fr. Micah encouraged participants to remain spiritually grounded.
"... After Great and Holy Friday — when the Savior dies on the Cross — comes the day of the Resurrection," the release said of Fr. Micah's message. "This is important to remember for those confronting the darkness of abortion: Christ has conquered hell and death."
Fr. Micah's homily can be watched here.
Police responded near the conclusion of the service and later transported Baranov to the 108th Precinct, where he filed a formal statement. Authorities attempted to obtain surveillance footage from nearby cameras but were initially unsuccessful.
According to Orthodox Christians Pro-Life, Baranov organized his first public pro-life action in 2006 in Tomsk, Russia, while he was a university student. “I received a U.S. visa in 2013 to participate in the March for Life in Washington, D.C., and I stated that during my consular interview,” he said.
Below are some more clips from the prayer service:
The St. John the Forerunner Orthodox Pro-Life Society says its phone line is expected to be restored within the next week. In the meantime, the organization remains reachable through email and social media.
Supporters can continue to donate using standard methods, with the exception of Venmo, which is temporarily unavailable during the phone number recovery process. Contributions are currently being accepted via GiveSendGo and PayPal, as well as Cash App under the handle “OCProLife.”
