Extremists to ‘quadruple’ pickets of soldiers’ funerals after their right to ‘free speech’ is upheld

 

Members of the notorious Westboro Baptist Church have taunted the families of dead American servicemen after winning a court case at the US Supreme Court that allows them to continue picketing army funerals. But opponents of the extremist group have warned that they may now take matters into their own hands.

The Supreme Court ruled on Wednesday that banning the protests would go against the right to free speech upheld in the US Constitution, and afterwards Marjie Phelps, daughter of church leader Fred Phelps, warned that the group would now "quadruple" the number of demonstrations.

Members of the group, based in Kansas, turn up to the funerals of dead soldiers armed with banners featuring epithets including 'God Hates Fags' and 'Thank God for dead soldiers'. Their belief is that the deaths are God's punishment for America's tolerance of homosexuality and that the nation will soon be destroyed as a result.

Speaking after the ruling Phelps said: "Shut up all that talk about infliction of emotional distress. When you're standing there with your young child's body bits and pieces in a coffin you've been dealt some emotional distress by the Lord your God.

"We are trying to warn you to flee the wrath of God, flee the wrath of destruction. What would be more kind than that?"

The case against the radical church was originally brought by the family of Matthew Snyder who was killed in Iraq in 2006 and whose funeral was picketed by the church. After the Supreme Court ruling was passed down, his father Albert warned that other Westboro protests could now lead to violence.

He told Katie Couric on CBS News: "When the government won't do anything about it, and the courts give us no remedy, then people are going to start taking matters into their own hands. And believe me someone is going to get hurt. And when the blood starts flowing, let it be on the Supreme Court Justices' hands."

He said that the judges who ruled 8-1 in the church's favour didn't have the "commonsense God gave a goat".

The lone voice of dissent on the panel was Justice Alito. He said: "Free and open debate is not a license for... vicious verbal assault." But the other judges were unmoved.

Another of Fred Phelp's daughters, Shirley, said: "God has a quarrel with this nation. His fury is on the military, and here's the reason, because you trust the military and you don't trust God."

Last month the Westboro Baptists squared up to 'hacktivist' collective Anonymous, after they apparently threatened to try and bring down the church's websites. The church invited them to "bring it".

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