Westboro Baptist Church Gets Out-Protested in West Virginia (Video)

78 by Timothy Hurst on April 9, 2010

Counter-protesters like the one pictured on the left in this 2008 photo awaited Westboro Baptist Church members today in Charleston, W. Virginia. (Photo: Burstein!/flickr)

Radical church group shows up in Charleston to 'protest' Upper Big Branch Coal Mine accident

Never missing a chance to hide behind their children and trot them around carrying signs with hate-filled messages to display for the cameras, members of the radical Westboro Baptist Church in Topeka, Kansas showed up in Charleston, West Virginia on Thursday to tell the world that the reason the Upper Big Branch Coal Mine accident happened is because God is punishing America for tolerating homosexuality. [Video below]

A message on the Westboro Baptist Church website on Thursday reportedly read: “So God reached down and smacked one of those mines, killing 25." According to the Charleston Gazette, "Only six Westboro pickets showed up in front of the Capitol, including two men, one woman and three young children. They held up signs proclaiming: "America Is Doomed," "Thank God for Dead Miners," "God Hates Your Tears," "God Hates West Virginia" and "God Hates You."

Not to be outdone by the hate-filled Westboro parishioners, a large group of no-hate counter protesters held a rally of their own on the steps of the Statehouse in Charleston.

Organized by the West Virginia Chamber of Commerce, the state AFL-CIO, as well as local community, church, and veterans' groups, the number of counter-protestors dwarfed the small group of radicals from Westboro.

Again, from the Charleston Gazette:

"Local people peacefully overwhelmed the Westboro group. They carried their own signs, including: "I Love Everyone" and "God Bless Our Troops and Veterans."
Others signs had humorous messages: "This is a Sign" and "God Hates Signs."

After marching around the capitol area for a few minutes, the group from Westboro was soon overwhelmed by the much larger group of counter-protestors. So they did what any group of three adults and three children in town visiting a state capitol would do, they got in their rented mini-van and drove off.

Watch a video compilation of the morning's dueling protests produced by KVLive, replete with a John Denver-inspired flash mob dance at the end:

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Photo credit: Burstein! via flickr/Creative Commons

firefightersgurlwv28
Im so proud i live in WEST VIRGINIA and have great friends here in the mines these people hate everyone and love no one well we dont we take care of our own and know that god loves everyone so im glad i didnt get a chance to see them cuz they hate fire fighters and my husband is a great one and loves wat he does and hes proud so the can kiss my a@#….
Scott Foster
I may be too late to this dance, but I feel in my heart that many people reading this will get the wrong idea about Christians and Christianity.
First of all, let me make one point absolutely crystal clear. the WESTBORO BAPTIST CHURCH DOES NOT REPRESENT CHRIST! They seem to conveniently forget that the Bible CLEARLY tells us that we are to LOVE our neighbors as ourselves, more specifically, to love our enemies. While it is true that God looks upon homosexuality negatively, he loves the homosexual. God does not hate homosexuals! He may grieve for them, yes, but our God that we serve, the Father of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ, does not hate them! God created the sinner, and wishes for the sinner to, “Go and sin no more”, but he loves his creation. He loves his children.
IF YOU ARE NOT A BELIEVER, then God bless you anyway. I would just hate to think that there are people out there who will deny the Christ child merely because of the blatant and ignorant hatred of a few specific people. Unless the people of the WBC repent of this behavior, and begin to get back to their first LOVE, then God will have no part of them on their day of judgement.
The pastor of this church should take a sobering look at his actions, and realize that hundreds of souls are going to be lost forever because of him unless he turns his ways. I hope that day is soon.

KC
I send all my good wishes to WV. I’m sorry to all of you who lost family and friends.
PS: WBC isn’t why I don’t believe in god. .WBC does however remind me of how stupid people can be. WV people remind me of how good we can be. Please stay strong.

scott hamilton
to the great people of west virginia, my heartfelt sympathy for your loss, and as for those little crud monkies in the wbc………..and i can speak for everyone here in texas, i really really really hope they protest here, cause if they do , they won’t be going back to kansas…….. alive……….yeah i know, but what do you do with a rabid dog? free speach is one thing, but stupid moronic hateful behaveure is just plain wrong…..despickable….do you know why they have thier children out there,? they figure that if thier kids are there they are less likely to have someone beat the crap out of them…lousy no good lower than a snakes belly cowards………have faith good folks, cause if i know my fellow americans someone is gonna show phelps the error of his ways………..and you know what?………god isn’t gonna do a darn thing to help him……he has made his choice………..and he chose evil……..so be it……….sighning off now……..i’m going to kansas……….hahahahahahahahahahahah
http://www.splcenter.org/get-informed/intelligence-report/browse-all-issues/2001/spring/a-city-held-hostage/fred-phelps-timel Laura
Click on the above site, I linked to! It’s a Fred Phelps time line of events he was involved in since his birth. It only goes to 2000 but it’s very informative. Actually, comparing Fred Phelps to someone like Hitler is a good idea.
Here it is again..
http://www.splcenter.org/get-informed/intelligence-report/browse-all-issues/2001/spring/a-city-held-hostage/fred-phelps-timel

scott hamilton
thankx laura, i knew this guy was out in left field, but man he is waaaaaaay out in left field……..those people in kansas shure have a lot of patience……..what a fruit cake, don’t know what bible he is reading, sin is sin…….evil is evil……..the problem with this guy is he either cannot tell the differance or dosen’t care, my guess it’s the latter and not the former…………i know how to shut this guy down, but it involves questionable nocturnal, slightly illeagal [ ok very illeagal ] activity………know what i mean? so the law protects this lowlife……..man makes my head throb…………you know that suggestion with the accidental 500.lb bomb posted earlier sounds good to me…….i know some guys in the air force…………………..yeah………….

West By God Virginia
Why come to W.Va to protest? West Virginia Is a poor,poor State…..
Kim Q.
I’m so I live in a state that stands up for each other (and the rest of the nation) and rises in the time of need. I don’t think we get recognized enough for the good things our state does and stands for. But thank you for showing the world through your words. When the Sago Mine tragedy happened my family and I had friends and their relatives inside that didn’t make it out. I had family in there that worked with every single one the miners. And it is truly heart breaking. It’s so hard to describe the feelings and emotions that come over you when something like this happens while waiting to find out if your loved ones are dead or alive. And WBC came and spoke their hate against us then too. I’m so jealous and mad that I didn’t get to make it to the protest against them, but so happy of the outcome. Keep up the good work WV, I love it here and will never leave. Bless all the miners and their families, and know that the state and the nation are thinking of you in this time of need.
vennita
What are you doing to your kids? Their being made to carry signs they have NO CLUE as to what it means.Their doing as they are told by their parents…HMMM,makes you think .Why are they parents?I thank god for the Soldiers if it weren’t for them i wouldn’t be writting this,nor would my children be here..God Bless America,Not god bless the JIM JONES FANS…WBC remember your leader is dead for a reason………………….WI…
Vincent Tetuan III
Please understand most of the Topekans cant stand their antics either. They are a thorn in our side as well.
Our Topeka community is a very caring community. And on behalf of all of us. We are very sorry for the loss of your miners.
I would also like to apologize for the disrespectful hateful behavior of the WBC. Its always nice to see them run with their tail between their incestuous legs.
Richard Martinez
WV they are not real TOPEKAN”S !!! God Bless our Troops and God Bless WV for there lost .
Richard Martinez
God Bless WV sorry for your lost ! KS prays for your lost.