Anti-abortion protesters have been targeting a high school in Raleigh, North Carolina, to the anger of a number of students who resent their presence.

Protesters have been holding up placards showing pictures of aborted foetuses on the steps of Wake County high school, handing out literature. They have already visited other schools in the area, and plan to continue targeting young people in their campaign.

We’re trying to educate students,” Bill Schultz, organiser of the protests, said. “You can call it a sidewalk classroom for them to learn the truth and make better decisions about their lives.”

However, at Wake County high school the protesters faced their first opposition to the campaign, when students angry at their presence shouted their own arguments in favour of the pro-choice lobby.

Morgan Richardson, a 17-year-old senior at the school said the protesters’ presence was unwelcome and unethical.

“Enloe is a very diverse place,” Richardson said. “We’re very open-minded. If you have a different opinion, we’re very accepting. But they shouldn’t be coming on campus.”

There were allegations that the literature being given out by the group were both sexist and racist, claiming pamphlets said male brains were wired for sex and that different leaflets were being given to African American pupils.

“The more I read, the more I thought it was disgusting,” Jacob Timmons, a senior, said. “I couldn’t believe they were at the school.”

The protesters defended the content of their literature, claiming that “it’s critical information for people in the African-American community to know the facts about abortion.”