This will put a bright spin on your day: Apparently the unstoppable force of Westboro Baptist Church has finally met its own immovable object in the hactivist collective known as Anonymous.
Westboro has never backed down from anything to our knowledge, but they recently pulled out of their planned picket of Reddit co-founder and Internet activist Aaron Swartz’s funeral. Why? Because Anonymous apparently threatened them, and after causing them all sorts of “financial difficulties,” WBC apparently listened.
Smell that? It’s fear being turned on the fear-monger.
HuffPo reports that members of Anonymous and their supporters showed up to Swartz’s funeral to block Westboro’s picket line, but the Christian-esque hate group was nowhere to be seen.
But Westboro did promise to be there in a lengthy press release titled “GOD H8S Cyber Criminal THUGS.”
“Cyber criminals are the latest face of this nation’s and this world’s raging at God and His Servants at WBC,” said the press release. “Now the gloves are off, cyber rebels! … We will picket the funeral, the LORD willing, so that in that Great Day of His Wrath, your blood is not on our hands.”
Despite all that bark, Westboro’s presence consisted of a phone call from WBC’s lawyer to local police, confirming that they were staying in on the day of Swartz’s funeral.
Earlier this week, a video was uploaded to YouTube by ChannelZeroYT11, (an allegedly Anonymous-controlled account) announcing that the group would protect Aaron Swartz’s funeral from Westboro Baptist, and apologizing to Swartz’s family and friends for their “continuous condemnation and attacks against this cult” as the likely “reason Aaron is being targeted by them.”
You can watch that video below. In any case, we’re betting that this is a game-changer against the WBC and that Anonymous, though controversial, might play a huge role in giving them their just desserts … even if all they do is intimidate them into silence.
Good Guy Anon.
They also didn't show for funerals of the Newtown shooting, I believe because of Anonymous. Pat yo backs
ANONYMOUS kicks ass! Expect us.
Actually, they did show up for some of the funerals. They were met by a line of bikers. The Sons of Anarchy were the ones that kept them in their place that time.
Funny story, but WBC brings all sorts of non crazy people together to denounce them. They are a uniting factor for the sane populace.
Very good
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Anonymous tracked them down to the exact motel on Queen street in Southington that they were staying at and released information about them to people looking to stop them. Lots of people lined up to prevent the WBC from picketing the funerals, but the Sons of Anarchy (a fictitious OMC on FX) were not one of them.
Muzica Forte was the KKK and I heard Hell's Angels. WBC is disgusting.
Fuck yes!!!! We are anonymous, we are legion, we do not forgive, we do not forget. Expect us. Suck on that WBC
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Actually, it's NOT the first time WBC has backed down on a threat. It is actually quite a common experience. Steve Jobs – no show. Heath Ledger – no show. Whitney Houston – no show, but they did release a Photoshopped picture claiming they were there – Aurora Colorado – another no show with a Photoshop job.
Yes, thou shalt not commit cyber crime. The 11th Commandment. Glad to see these self-righteous thugs can't disturb this brave young man's funeral!
why not let them protest? it's their right ffs.
hopefully they show up at your funeral
I'll take their silence as a positive move in the right direction. Just grateful that someone finally got their attention! It's sad that our laws have permitted WBC to get this far all these years.
A person's rights (in this case a group's) ends where another's begins. It's their right to be complete faggots and protest at FUNERALS (!!!) but it's also our right to put our boots up their collectives asses when they try to.
This isn't the first time they have admitted fear. When they were threatening to picket a funeral in Winnipeg one of the reasons a spokesperson gave for not showing up was that they couldn't get police protection.
the primary group of bikers that stands between WBC and its victims is the Patriot Guard Riders
I'd appreciate it if you'd refrain from using "faggots" as it's extremely distasteful and insulting.
if they were real Christians they wouldn't be afrad. "if your scared go to church"
if they were real Christians they wouldn't be afrad. "if your scared go to church"
I agree with Monse. I dislike everything WBC has to say, but will defend their right to say it. I appreciate most of Anonymous' actions, but not their determination to silence a group they dislike. Who are they to decide who has a voice and who does not? WBC is welcome to picket my funeral. Will add comic relief.
sons of anarchy? thats a tv show… good god…
So what?
The Westboro Church are a thoroughly looney bunch of fundamentalists without a rationsl thought to their name.
They are also all of 60 members strong – most of 'em members of the same family – and have absolutely no political power or prestige with any members of American society. They presnt absolutely no danger to anyone.
But they espouse virtually the same anti-gay bullshit as the multi-million member Southern Baptist Conference, as millions more "religious" Catholics, Evangelicals, "White Christians", Family "Values" voters, Teabaggers, dozens of congresspersons and leaders of megachurches influencing millions of Americans every day.
When's the last time any "Patriots" or "Anonymous" hackers took action against these far more powerful and dangerous assholes?
When your mother is being lowered into the ground and WBC shows up and starts saying things like, "Your mother was a fag in the eyes of God and will suffer for eternity in hell!" Then maybe you will grow up.
fuck wbc and all those freaks stand for.
your trying to say that the people in wbc are sane? maybe you need to get your head checked..js
No, he is saying that in the face of something so foul (WBC), those of us with a sane logic construct unite together in our disdain for WBC or any hate group.
Monse, while I understand your observation regarding their right to free speech and protest, there is a time and place for those rights to be implemented. Lines you don't cross, Westboro has crossed them on more than one occasion. I for one am supportive of free speech, but what I don't support is someone or an organization who intends to take advantage of those rights and spread seeds of hate and malice.
"they are a uniting factor for the sane populace". It means they bring sane people together in their opposition to WBC. You need to work on your reading comprehension…js.
Please hack that site! WBC needs to feel pain.
Epic get
All "Free speech" means is that the government won't jail or fine you for things that you say. The general public can still hate the fuck out of your message and dose you with a Mug of STFU.
All "free speech" means is that the government cannot jail or fine you for things you say. The general public can still hate your message and react accordingly.
We need MORE actions like this against WBC, THEY are the terrorists and thugs.
Dear Anonymous,
If you're going to use terrible computer voices in your videos, please provide subtitles.
Thank you,
Me
Do NOT let up. Keep the boots on their throats! Keep going until they are ruined and starving on the streets!
Jorden Jeffries needs to get his reading comprehension checked…
Muzica Forte Sons of Anarchy is a fictional television show. They did not protect anyone from anything but ratings.
WBC showed up in Holland Michigan to protest a soldiers funeral but they decided no to protest because we as Americans, former and current soldiers and bikers said "it would not be in thier best interest". We won!
Hate speech is not protected.
I don't know if this is that big of a deal. They're no-shows at pickets all the time.
Patriot Guard was formed for the specific purpose of protecting funerals from these maniacs. I'd guess it was them in scene. They are fantastic…circle the facility holding US flags between them so the family never sees WBC.
?
True Christians Muslims and Jews amongst but a few religions don't force people into belief through fear, but by choice. I would also argue that yes you can interpret religious text in any way but I'm sure the message of any prophet was not to cause fear and misery? I believe anonymous wikileaks all these groups that stand up for moral values truth justice and honesty deserve a pat on the back and more support from the public. we shouldn't fear governments or groups like wbc they should fear reprisal from the public.
(V)(;,,;)(V) Why not Zoidberg?
agreed Drew
no that would be assault you moron and you will do some time in jail for that.
Robin Quinn you cant have "good speach" and not support " hate speach" that's not freedom.
You, little kid, have some growing up to do. You obviously do not know what freedom of speech actually means. Do some research on it, maybe introduce this project to your class about how you feel that WBC should spread their hate speech freely, you know, since that practically means that you agree with what they are saying.
odd i got subtitles o.o
Anonymous should go after ALL DOMESTIC TERRORISTS SUCH AS: NRA, GOP CONGRESS, CROSSROADS GPS, FREEDOM WORKS, TEA PARTY EXPRESS AND TEA PARTY NATION. THE PEOPLES'S BUSINESS NOT BEING DONE BECAUSE AMERICA IS A HOSTAGE OF THESE ORGANIZATIONS. STOP THE FEAR MONGERING!!!!!
poorly developed laws brought Swartz closer to an early end. A major issue here is a broken legal system, without principles or reasonable logic.
IF I WERE ABLE, I WOULD STAND INFRONT OF THAT WESTBORO FAKE CHRISTIANS WITH MY RIFLE TO PROTECT THE PEOPLE OF THESE FALLEN HEROS AND ANYONE ELSE THEY CHOOSE TO PICKET AND HARASS.
Your "rights" are there only to protect you from government persecution and prosecution. Did the government try to stop them? Their rights were not infringed upon. Nowhere does it say what society and the general populous has to think about their "rights" and whether or not we can drown them out completely with our own version of hate directed right back at them. That's true freedom. Smells delicious.