Anti-abortion demonstrators from Students for Life at WSU set up a “Cemetery of the Innocent” display, which included 300 crosses, on the lawn between Holland Library and Bryan Hall on Wednesday.

One cross was equivalent to “10 children aborted per day in the U.S.,” according to the sign. The statistics were taken from the World Health Organization’s website.

Pro-abortion rights student Keaton Aspell got out of class around 10:30 a.m. and was on his way to the bus stop when he saw the pink crosses sticking out of the grass.

“I walked down through the grass and turned,” Aspell said. “Then I saw the signs and my jaw dropped.”

Aspell said he was disgusted and angered by the display, believing the crosses represented the religious aspect of the anti-abortion organization.

“I was like, ‘this is disgusting’,” Aspell said. “I don’t think it creates any type of unity. I think it just causes divisiveness and they are just pushing their religious agenda and it really made me angry.”

Trisha Mallett, Students for Life at WSU president, said the crosses were used to mimic a cemetery and had no religious value at all. She said the demonstration was peaceful and meant to reach as many people as possible.

Aspell said he tore down the crosses and threw the signs away. He said he then posted on his Twitter and Facebook about what he did.

“The responses I got were ‘thank you for doing it,’ ‘I really appreciate this,’ and ‘that’s disgusting what they are doing’,” he said.

Students for Life members later returned and set the display back up, after which Aspell returned and started taking them down again.

“I called the police when the angry student came back and claimed that he had taken them down the first time and was angry that he had to take them down again,” said Nicole Manzione, a Students for Life member. “We tried to have a good conversation with him, calm and civil, and he just kept taking them down no matter what we said.”

People started to come and support the removal of the crosses and signs. Among them was WSU student Alexis StClair.

“To us, seeing this and walking by is harmful,” StClair said. “If I were a person that had an abortion and I saw this, I would be heartbroken.”

Students for Life supporters also began showing up as well.

“I’ve been raised to know that a child is a gift and not all the time are they planned. However, when abortion is committed it is like killing a child,” said Daz Zepeda, a friend of Mallet’s. “There is nothing I can do about it because it’s not up to me. It’s up to the women, the mothers. I can’t make anyone do anything other than give my two cents and hope they consider it. “

Jacob Spitzer, the WSU police officer who responded shortly after 2 p.m., said he arrived and mediated the dispute, then referred the pro-abortion rights group to the WSU Office of the Registrar. The Office of the Registrar referred them to the Office of the Dean of Students, which then sent them to Evelyn Martinez, RSO Community Advisor of the Office of Student Involvement. Martinez was not available for comment.

Brian Shuffield, WSU Office of Student Involvement executive director, said the anti-abortion group’s display was approved in advance. Though free speech demonstrations do not normally need approval, WSU Facilities Services had to OK this one for the group to stake crosses in the ground.

Editor’s note: This article has been revised to reflect the proper terminology for supporters on both sides of the abortion debate.