Anti-abortion protesters gathered in Sydney last week, with some carrying professional blue-and-white signs reading "The greatest liberty is the right to life," bearing the logo of CitizenGo. This group, unfamiliar to many Australians, is a major player in Europe's anti-abortion and anti-LGBTQ+ movements.
What is CitizenGo?
Founded in Spain in 2013 as an offshoot of the ultra-conservative HazteOír, CitizenGo claims 20 million members across 50 countries. Its funding sources are disputed. A 2021 European parliamentary inquiry described it as "an organisation founded by US and Russian ultra-conservatives that has sought to coordinate the activities of far-right parties in Europe," though CitizenGo denies receiving Russian funds. A 2024 UN report called it an "ultra-conservative Catholic organisation" and global leader of anti-gender ideology.
Outside Europe, CitizenGo has been active in Africa, contributing to a temporary ban on Marie Stopes abortion services in Kenya in 2018. Its methods include mass online petitions, such as one to pull a Cadbury's Creme Egg ad and another that canceled a DC Comics series on Jesus.
CitizenGo in Australia
In Australia, CitizenGo is on the foreign influence register and advocates "on issues of family, faith and liberty from a biblical perspective." Its campaigners include former Nationals MP George Christensen, former adviser Christopher Yates, and possibly Brian Marlow of Revive Australia. So far, its impact has been modest: a petition supporting anti-abortion activist Joanna Howe has nearly 14,000 signatures, one to ban sex-selective abortion has 7,400, and another to dissolve parliament has 22,300.
Researchers see CitizenGo as part of a growing ecosystem of anti-rights groups, energized by One Nation's rise and global populism. Lucy Hamilton, a far-right expert, uses the term "co-belligerence" to describe how such groups cooperate on shared projects like abortion, immigration, and climate change, broadening their messaging to include various factions. Kurt Sengul notes that coalitions have formed among groups that previously disagreed.
Abortion's recent prominence—three bills in state parliaments aim to reduce access—has given CitizenGo an opportunity. Yates attended last week's rally organized by Howe, stating in a Facebook post that abortion should ideally be entirely banned. Dr. Adam Simpson links this to cost-of-living pressures driving people toward rightwing populists, who then become susceptible to anti-abortion views.
Guardian Australia has contacted CitizenGo, Christensen, Yates, Le, and Howe for comment.
