They, in essence, praise Adam Lanza for “executing” God’s judgement by killing an entire classroom of kids.
According to the huffingtonpost.com:
Shirley Phelps-Roper, a spokesperson for the group and, like most members of the organization, a relative of the group’s founder, Fred Phelps, announced on Twitter on Saturday the group’s plan “to sing praise to God for the glory of his work in executing his judgment.”
It is unclear when the group plans to protest, although a tweet from Margie Phelps implied that it would be during a vigil that will be attended by President Barack Obama on Sunday evening.
Members of the Westboro Baptist Church say that America is being punished for its acceptance of gays and lesbians. In recent days, Phelps family members have sent tweets about the Connecticut shooting that have said “God sent the shooter.”
Not surprisingly, the group’s announcement was met with resistance online. A Change.org petition asking for Connecticut officials to prevent the group from protesting has been launched, and users of the social news and link sharing site Reddit have been discussing ways to stage a counter-protest.
Meanwhile, efforts by the computer hacking group known as ‘Anonymous’ are allegedly attempting to take the Westboro Baptist Church website down through what is described as #OpWestBoro on Twitter. However, as of 8:30 EST, the church’s website is still working. A YouTube video, purportedly from Anonymous, warns Westboro of being targeted by the hacktivists.
This is the same group that protests the funeral of U.S. servicemen and women. The Southern Poverty Law Center, which has supported civil rights for decades, calls the Westboro Baptist Church “arguably the most obnoxious and rabid hate group in America,” while the Jewish-based Anti-Defamation League called this outfit “a small virulently homophobic, anti-Semitic hate group.”
The U.S. Supreme Court supports their right to protest funerals as protected under the First Amendment. However, the protesters are order to stay at least 300 feet from any funeral.
