Westboro Baptist Church to go on Holiday. They want to picket a SCHOOL in the UK

[TheBigotBasher]

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/newstopics/religion/4640967/Westboro-Baptist-Church-announces-first-anti-homosexuality-picket-in-Britain.html

By Matthew Moore
Last Updated: 11:13AM GMT 17 Feb 2009

Followers of the virulently anti-gay Westboro Baptist Church have threatened to picket a sixth form college in Basingstoke, Hampshire during a staging of The Laramie Project, a play about an American youth murdered because of his sexuality.

The church from Topeka, Kansas is mainly composed of relatives of the founder, pastor Fred Phelps, who style themselves "the most hated family in America".

Their core belief – that God will punish the West for its acceptance of homosexuality – has seen them protest at dozens of servicemen's funerals brandishing garish placards stating "God hates the USA" and "Thank God for dead soldiers".

Details of the church's first picket in Britain was posted on their website with the slogan "God Hates England; Your Queen Is A W----".

"Some of the best Bible preaching in the history of the world came out of that dark dismal land, but now it is full of all abominations," the notice read.

"God will shortly destroy the UK and the world, but not until they have got the plain, clear message so that they will be without excuse."

The target of Friday evening's demonstration will be the Central Studio arts venue at Queen Mary's College, where local gay group Freedom Youth is staging a small production of the The Laramie Project this week.

The play, which has roused the ire of Westboro followers in the past, tells the story of Matthew Shepard, a gay teenager tortured and murdered in small town America in 1998.

Shirley Phelps-Roper, a church spokeswoman, confirmed the plan but declined to say whether members would be flying over from the US or if the picket would be carried out by followers in Britain. The church has no scheduled pickets on the days immediately before or after the Basingstoke demonstration.

"It is the first actual picket. We have been preaching by so many means to the UK for years. The arm of the Lord our God is not shortened by oceans and things, all of which he created, and all of which he knew about when he considered these last hours of the very last days of all," Mrs Phelps-Roper said.

In a lengthy justification of the protest, she cited the recent case of 13-year-old Alfie Patten, who claims to have fathered a child with his 15-year-old girlfriend, as evidence of UK's moral decline.

"And then you can add to this pleasant little happy UK family moment that another 13-year-old boy has arisen to dispute paternity! Oh yea baby – you UK rebels truly have it groin on. You are like the doomed American rebels – just a big shameful mess," she said.

Central Studio confirmed that it was aware of the planned protest and said it was making preparations with the school. A Freedom Youth leader said he believed the chance of the church carrying through on its picket threat was very low, given the distance its followers would have to travel.

Maria Miller, Conservative MP for Basingstoke, said that she had contacted the Home Secretary to see what action the Government may be considering in relation to possible attempts by the Phelps family to enter the country.

Stupid Dirty Bigots. Stay at home and help Sarah Palin.

[Turbineguy]

1. Now we find out why the Good Lord created

football hooligans.:evilgrin:

[damntexdem]

10. Yeah, but Phelps doesn't believe in a Good Lord.

He believes in a God of Hate.

[varkam]

2. God hates cigarettes? What?

your queen is a w----?

[rateyes]

7. Have you a lucifer to light

my fag? (A match to light my cigarette?)

[Earth_First]

3. The producer ought to contact the organizer of the anti-Phelps protest at a Kansas high school

brought to our attention by our very own KansDem...

Protest of Fred Phelps by Kansas high school raises $13,500 for AIDs research.

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=389x5014567

[Critters2]

4. Good luck getting visas, assholes. nt

[SoCalNative]

14. Visas aren't required

for the UK

[Critters2]

17. Hmmm...the Brits may find themselves rethinking that policy. nt

[TheBigotBasher]

19. They can still be refused entry.

[LeftishBrit]

23. Not visas; but you still need your passport, and can be denied entry.

The far-right Dutch MP Geert Wilders was denied entry recently - and the UK and the Netherlands are both EU countries, which makes it easier to cross borders. Nevertheless, he was banned. And, nasty as he is, he hadn't announced his intention to picket a school or similar!

[rateyes]

5. Let them go. And, then revoke their visas and deny them reentry

into the U.S.A. That would be good fucking riddance.

[TheBigotBasher]

11. The local MP is trying to get them banned.

The UK has a law that allows the banning of those who promote bigotry, this allowed the Home Secretary to ban Geert Wilders a Dutch MP from entering the UK.

http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/news/uk/article5709892.ece

A quite different breed of "Conservatives".

Maria Miller, Conservative MP for Basingstoke, said that she had contacted the Home Secretary to see what action the Government may be considering in relation to possible attempts by the Phelps family to enter the country.

[flvegan]

6. Let them go. Maybe the hooligans will have at them.

[buzzycrumbhunger]

8. The morans came to FL

to picket one of the little high schools here because kids were starting up a club for gay teens (which actually had more members who weren't). Quite the brouhaha and in the end they just looked like arseholes. Honestly, it makes me think of the Zappa line: Does it bother you that this waste of time is what makes a life for you?

I hope to hell these fuckwits aren't able to write off their hatemongering as a tax deduction. Wonder if it ever occurs to them to ponder what their Jesus really thinks of them. LOL

[TWiley]

9. I insulted phred phelps, and he started yelling at me

He was yelling and quoting his bible. I asked him "what the fuck were you thinking when you took your filth to Mathew Shepard's Funeral?"

He lit right up and started preaching at me.

[RoccoR5955]

12. Good, They CAN get arrested there! n/t

[ayeshahaqqiqa]

13. they are really hateful people, aren't they?

Since they can't find enough to hate with gays, now it is hate towards heterosexuals. I'm thinking that they really hate everything--themselves the most.

The best thing to do is ignore them--they feed on negativity.

[monmouth]

15. Where oh where do they get their money for all of this travel?...n/t

[FiveGoodMen]

16. Hope their plane crashes on the way (hope it's a charter)

[TWiley]

18. Hey .... your Tax Dollars are funding their trip ....

They call it a "missionary trip" and deduct travel expenses. You will sleep better at night knowing that their donations are tax free, and they can build a school at your expense too!

[Critters2]

21. I know they're tax exempt status has been challenged.

Don't know what happened with that. But simply calling yourself a "church" doesn't automatically give you tax-exempt status. You have to apply under the 501c3 clause of the tax code, just like secular non-profits, and live within the rules. They've got a bunch of lawyers in the family (it really isn't a church, it's just an extended family of whackjobs), so they probably come close to breaking the rules without crossing the line.

But churches don't get automatic tax exemption, anymore than your local United Way does. You gotta keep the paperwork in order.

[DemoTex]

20. Old Bailey, then gaol.

Throw away the key.


Old Bailey

[LeftishBrit]

22. Arrrggghhhh - I certainly trust that he won't be allowed in!

[Starry Messenger]

24. Keep them! We don't want them back.

Is Bedlam still around? You could make a little money exhibiting the Phelps Family on weekends.