GIVE IT A REST

73-Year-Old Charged for Trying to Burn Down Illinois Abortion Clinic Site

Phillip Buyno is a longtime anti-abortion activist, with alleged ties to extremist groups.

A 73-year-old man has been charged for attempting to burn down the site of an Illinois abortion clinic, according to a Tuesday press release from the U.S. Attorney’s Office. Philip J. Buyno was arrested Saturday after he allegedly rammed his Volkswagen Passet into the entrance of the building, which is being renovated for use as an abortion clinic, and cops allegedly found cans of gasoline in the car. The site of the crime was no coincidence—Buyno is a longtime anti-abortion extremist, with alleged ties to several local groups that have harassed clinic workers and patients throughout the state. Public records show that he’s been arrested for trespassing at a Planned Parenthood Health Center in Peoria, Illinois as recently as 2019. Additionally, a 2019 YouTube video featuring a man by the name of “Phil Buyno” from the same area described his vision of “making Peoria a city of refuge for the pre-born.”