Members of the Westboro Baptist Church, from Topeka, Kansas, protest across the street from Ground Zero July 4, 2004 in New York City. The church members believe that because of homosexuals and America’s rebellious and immoral conducts, God has brought on acts of terrorism as a way of punishing society.
Today has been a day that has tried the soul of a city.
In the hours since the two explosions rocked the streets of Boston, messages of love and support have saturated the internet — but these inspiring and compassionate posts were not universal.
In fact, the commentary streaming across the Twitter feed of the Westboro Baptist Church was both hostile and hateful.
The Westboro Baptist Church, based in Topeka, Kansas, is a small, virulently homophobic, anti-Semitic hate group that regularly stages protests or pickets institutions and individuals they think support homosexuality or otherwise subvert what they believe is God’s law.
WBC even protested the funerals of children who were slain in the horrific Newtown shootings this past December.
Given their history, perhaps it should come as no surprise that members of the Westboro Baptist Church have vowed to picket the funerals of those killed at the Boston Marathon today.
In one tweet, the church wrote, “God sent the Boston Marathon Bombs for the sin of Massachusetts passing same-sex marriage!”
Below is the complete collection of the day's comments made by the Westboro Baptist Church.
Without federal support, local stations, especially in rural and underserved areas, face deep cuts or even closure. Vital public service alerts, news, storytelling, and programming like The World will be impacted. The World has weathered many storms, and we remain steadfast in our commitment to being your trusted source for human-centered international news, shared with integrity and care. We believe public media is about truth and access for all. As an independent, nonprofit newsroom, we aren’t controlled by billionaire owners or corporations. We are sustained by listeners like you.
Now more than ever, we need your help to support our global reporting work and power the future of The World.