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"God Hates Fags!" picket in Basingstoke

Nico Bellic | 17.02.2009 08:50 | Gender | Repression | Social Struggles | Oxford | South Coast

A group from the Westboro Baptist Church of Topeka, Kansas plans to travel to the Central Studio Theatre in Basingstoke to picket a production of The Laramie Project by local youth group Freedom Youth.


The Laramie Project, by Moisés Kaufman and the Tectonic Theater Project, focuses on life in the town of Laramie, Wyoming after a brutal homophobic murder. Matthew Sheppard was an openly gay university student who was discovered bound to a fence in the hills outside Laramie where he had been left to die after being brutally beaten by Russell Henderson and Aaron McKinney. Sheppard never recovered from his injuries and Henderson & McKinney are both serving consecutive life sentences for his murder.

The play has been performed professionally all over the world, included as a text in GCSE English Literature courses and been used to teach about prejudice and tolerance in many schools.

You might wonder what would drive someone to cross the Atlantic to picket this production. Well, the Westboro Baptist Church are different from most other churches. For starters, even the most evangelising Old-School Baptists don't want to be associated with them. They are also considered to be a "hate group" by the Southern Poverty Law Centre and are closely monitored by the Anti-Defamation League. Mainly though, they differ in that they are all members of the extended family of the WBC's founder, Fred Phelps.

Oh yeah, and their web address is www.GodHatesFags.com

The reason they are coming to the UK is that they have a rather unusual take on missionary work. Whilst their belief that AIDS is God's retribution for sodomy and promiscuity is not unique, they have an interesting way of acting on it. Whereas most religions would see souls to be saved, the WBC sees an opportunity to celebrate God's work by shouting and waving placards stating "God Hates Fags", "Fags Die, God Laughs" and other variations on the theme. They are rumoured to spend around $1/4m each year travelling the US to picket gay events, soldiers funerals (Iraq war is punishment for lax US morals) and community services/projects they see as aiding sinners. This is from their current published schedule:



02/20/2009 6:45 PM - 7:30 PM Basingstoke Hampshire, UK

Central Studio Queen Mary?s College - God H8s Ur Queen! Cliddesden Road In Merry Old England they plan to further enrage the Living God by putting on the farce known commonly as "The Laramie Project". Now that is so interesting. We will picket them, and see if they actually believe those lies they tell about how tolerant and accepting Brits are. RIIIIGHT! Just because you rage against God and make laws that say you cannot use "hate speech" (a/k/a - you may not speak of the Bible standards) in the UK does NOT mean you will not get the message that God Almighty intends for you to get. God Hates England; Your Queen Is A Whore; You Hate God; God Hates You; You're Going to Hell; Matt Is In Hell; Hell Is Real Ask Matt; God Hates Fags (Buggers); Obey God, etc. 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! God will shortly destroy the UK and the world, but not until they have gotten the plain, clear message so that they will be WITHOUT EXCUSE! Romans 1:20 For the invisible things of him from the creation of the world are clearly seen, being understood by the things that are made, even his eternal power and Godhead; so that they are without excuse: You can rage against and lie about God, but it changes NOTHING! Psalm 2:1 Why do the heathen rage, and the people imagine a vain thing? 2 The kings of the earth set themselves, and the rulers take counsel together, against the LORD, and against his anointed, saying, 3 Let us break their bands asunder, and cast away their cords from us. 4 He that sitteth in the heavens shall laugh: the Lord shall have them in derision. 5 Then shall he speak unto them in his wrath, and vex them in his sore displeasure. 6 Yet have I set my king upon my holy hill of Zion. You see, WBC's KING trumps your Queen! Check out our UK page at www.godhatestheworld.com and our Psalm 2 Music video at www.signmovies.net. AMEN!



I was tempted to add some paragraph breaks for readability, but I thought that might misrepresent the original author by making them seem less of a ranting nutter than they obviously are.

Whether or not they know, or care, that this is a production by a small community youth group is unclear - although they do also plan to picket a high school on the 17th because, "We hear tell that this High School has both a fag club and a bible club."

The real dilema here is how to respond. Should there be counter protests or should the police receive a flood of reports from people feeling harassed, offended, threatened, persecuted and every other excuse the police have used to shut down protests against big business and government? A flood that starts the moment they first raise a placard and continues until they leave. The police can't ignore hundreds of crime reports without having to explain themselves and it might be a fun way to get some use out of the services you fund.



 http://www.godhatesfags.com/schedule.html

 http://www.centralstudio.co.uk/theatre.html


Nico Bellic

Comments

Hide the following 12 comments

scum of the earth

17.02.2009 09:21

thoose who choose to disregard other peoples human rights, choose to forfit their own. antifa, this should be your type of thing, anyone got any ideas?

Mobilise Mobilise Mobilise

fuck'um'up


Sad

17.02.2009 09:34

These folks are pathetic. Perhaps the best thing to do is ignore them? Or ask the Freedom Youth crew if they want a solidarity demo?

poon


Police involvement

17.02.2009 11:00

'...Your Queen Is A Whore...'

Pretty sure thats an arrestable offence, splash it far and wide and get the ire of the daily mail readers to boiling point. I wonder what it would take for the police to riot on these fundamentalists? Oh, just say there's gonna be an animal rights protest with support from some, ahem, religious organisations...

McQn


God hates cigarettes ?

17.02.2009 16:24

When americans get this stupid it is tempting just to kill them, out of mercy.

It is also really tempting to mock them since you can't make this shit up, see if they are into turning the other cheek when you wipe your arse on the bible.

A compromise would be to mock them, then kill them, then mock them some more.

hag


ORGANIZE!

17.02.2009 16:58

This is a group who condones signs saying things like "Hell is real, just ask Matt" after American student, Matthew Shepard, who was brutally totured and beaten to death for being homosexual then tied to a fencepost and left to die.

Seriously.
Get your black bandannas on, and turn up in Basingstoke sometime Friday afternoon and be ready to let this imported hatred know that we will protect our towns from their bullshit.
MOBILISE
MOBILISE
MOBILISE

In memory of Matthew Shepard


Sell-by date expired fruitcakes. Leave then on the shelf.

17.02.2009 20:38

This lot are just so barking that they pose no threat to anybody. Organising any form of demo just would give them credibility.

IMHO, they don't need any help to make themselves and their beliefs look stupid - they can do it far better for themselves without assistance.

Gregory Beetle


mmmm

17.02.2009 21:36

I'm going to a town that has already been burned down
I'm going to a place that is already been disgraced
I'm gonna see some folks who have already been let down.
I'm so tired of America

I'm gonna make it up for all of the Sunday Times
I'm gonna make it up for all of the nursery rhymes
They never really seem to want to tell the truth
I'm so tired of you America

Making my own way home
Ain't gonna be alone
I got a life to lead America
I got a life to lead

Tell me do you really think you go to hell for having loved?
Tell me and not for thinking every thing that you've done is good
(I really need to know)
After soaking the body of Jesus Christ in blood
I'm so tired of America
(I really need to know)

I may just never see you again or might as well
You took advantage of a world that loved you well
I'm going to a town that has already been burned down
I'm so tired of you America

Making my own way home
Ain't gonna be alone
I got a life to lead America
I got a life to lead
I got a soul to feed
I got a dream to heed
And that's all I need

Mmmm


'Hate Fags'?

18.02.2009 14:06

Wouldn't this be classed as hate speech and be illegal?

Ruby


We don't believe in "free speech" over here!

19.02.2009 00:23

I think these people may get a shock if they are used to the US "free speech" laws.

Over here in the good old UK we don't believe in those quaint things like free speech.

On the other hand, they aren't animal rights or anti-war activists so maybe they will be OK. Hmm...

I wouldn't be surprised if they are barred entry to fortress UK like that right-wing Dutch politician recently.

anon


WESTBORO BARRED FROM ENTERING UK

19.02.2009 18:59

Read this in London Lite on the tube today:

"GAY HATE PAIR BARRED FROM UK
Two homophobic extremists have been banned from entering Britain. Fred Phelps, 79, and his 51-year-old daughter, Shirley Phelps-Roger, were hoping to protest against a play staged by a gay youth group tomorrow. They are members of the Kansas-based Westboro Baptist Church."


"God Hates Basingstoke"


Just spoke to the school...

19.02.2009 19:03

Just spoke to the school to give 'em a heads up and they said they already know and that the police are there keeping guard, so maybe not worth a counterdemo unless you want to also make yourselves a target for Hampshire's finest?

Queer, Here, Geddova It.


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