[Previous counter-protest to Westboro event. Photo cred - Brian Chilson]
This Friday, November 28th, 7pm-8pm, at the Havana Theatre in Vancouver, B.C., there will be a Pastafarian counter-protest to the Westboro Baptist Church protest at the same location.
For those who do not know, Westboro Baptist Church is a hate group out of Kansas, best known for picketing funerals of soldiers killed in the Iraq War. From wikipedia:
The church runs numerous websites such as GodHatesFags.com, GodHatesAmerica.com and others expressing condemnation of homosexuality, Roman Catholics, Muslims and Jews, as well as populations it believes are supporting the aforementioned groups, including Chinese, Swedes, Canadians, Irish, British, Mexicans and Americans.
A few weeks ago, the Central Arkansas Pastafarians staged a counter-protest to another Westboro Baptist Church event, causing it to be cancelled. The picture, above, is from this counter-protest. Read more about it here.
Please come if you can, and help put these assholes in their place. Please be civil, we are simply countering their protest with one of our own – don’t get arrested or cause bad press for Pastafarians.
Please spread the word. Dress in pirate regalia if you can. Take pictures.
What: Pastafarian Counter-Protest to Westboro Baptist Church hate event.
When: This Friday, November 28th, 7pm – 8pm
Where: The Havana Theatre in Vancouver, B.C.
1212 Commercial Drive Vancouver, British Columbia
Contact: Pastafarian Ben – he is the man behind this operation. You can reach him at: tremblay47@gmail.com
*NOTE*
What exactly is the Westboro Baptist Church protesting? On Friday, the Havana Theatre in Vancouver is staging a play called The Laramie Project. The Laramie Project is about the reaction to the murder of a gay student named Matthew Shepard in 1998. Matthew Shepard was beaten to death by a hate group because he was gay. He was tortured, tied to a fence and left to die. The Westboro Baptist Church contends the actions were justified and is protesting the play.
In their press release for this event, WBC says “Matt Shepard has been in Hell now for ten years, with eternity left to go on his sentence – without appeal, parole, or time off for good behavior. All else about Matt is trivial and irrelevant. You may join him soon. Deal with it.”
So, who’s coming to ruin Westboro Baptist Church’s day?
Important message from the comments:
If anyone does go, be very careful – Phelps LOVES to antagonize people into physically attacking him and/or his followers, and then sues the hell out of them.
If anyone does go, be very careful – Phelps LOVES to antagonize people into physically attacking him and/or his followers, and then sues the hell out of them.
When Phelps came to Greeley, Colorado, a local group dressed in white and wore big white wings on their back and surrounded Phelps’ group and sang for hours on end, drowning out Phelps’ “God hates Fags” routine. The wings effectively blocked people’s view of all the hate signs Phelps had.
Believe it or not, that all went off with no incidents.
Would love to attend but i live in Belfast so could be quite the challenge. But damn right about this, have read about this Westboro thing and it is just pure hatred and wrong on so many levels. Pastafarians untie….Unite!!!!
This is awesome. Finally we can work together to provide something good for the planet. If I lived anywhere close I would love to go
We should set up something for the inauguration of Obama…because you KNOW they are going to be there.
Mare
It’s a little far for me to come from the UK, but I will be there in spirit!
Good Luck my Pirate chums :)
RAmen
Good, I wish I could come, but I am stuck in Texas for the holiday season. Put them in their place. They have no right to harass people for being open about their sexuality.
1212 Commercial Drive Vancouver, British Columbia
I will muthaf*cking BE THERE. Who is organizing? Is there an event posted somewhere, a message board? What should our signs say, etc?
Good luck to all who attend!