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Anonymous.jpg
Disgusted by Wesboro Baptist's plans to picket a vigil for the victims of the Sandy Hook Elementary School shooting, the hacker group Anonymous is waging a cyber war against the hate-mongering Westboro Baptist Church, based in Kansas. (AP file photo of the masks that symbolize Anonymous)

Anonymous hacktivists go after Westboro Baptist Church

December 18, 2012 @ 5:41 am (Updated: 7:37 am - 12/18/12 )

Who wins when an anarchist group of computer hackers take on the Westboro Baptist Church?

Westboro Baptist Church is an organization that claims everything bad that happens is a message from God and that people who are suffering deserve the pain because they brought it on themselves.

Along with their anti-gay message, they are known for getting media attention by picketing the funerals of victims of the Aurora, Colorado movie theater massacre. They have also protested at the funerals of soldiers killed in Iraq and Afghanistan

At solemn moments, Westboro members are often laughing and appearing with kids who join in their way of thinking.

They have vowed to protest at the funerals of the children killed in Newtown, Connecticut.

But Westboro has a new rival.

"Hello Westboro Baptist Church. Allow us to introduce ourselves. We are anonymous," a video message begins.

"As you may not have acknowledged our existence, we, on the other hand, have recognized yours. We have seen your depraved methods of disseminating your message of hate throughout the United States of America."

Members of the hacktivist group Anonymous are targeting the Westboro Baptist Church in several ways. They are posting the names and addresses of members of Westboro and encouraging people to bombard them with messages of their own.

For awhile, they hacked into the Westboro Baptist Church twitter feed and took it down.

Anonymous also posted a video with veiled threats against Westboro.

"We are coming. We are Anonymous. We do not forgive. We do not forget. Expect us," the video concludes.

Anonymous is filing a petition against Westboro's tax-exempt status. Because of its status as a religious entity, the Westboro Baptist Church is able to avoid paying taxes.

Another petition wants Westboro to be recognized not as a religious group, but as a hate group.

Anonymous has done its own controversial things including cyber-attacks on the Pentagon. The group merged with the Occupy Wall Street movement and other anarchist groups, but for the most part their specialty is online hacking.

More mobilizing online comes from Reddit users, who announced plans to travel to Newtown to hinder any possible Westboro protests.

You've heard the phrase "fight fire with fire," that's exactly what Anonymous is doing to Westboro.

By LINDA THOMAS

More from Linda Thomas

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Comments (37)


  • Add A Comment

  • maplefish wrote...
    This is AWESOME
    December 18, 2012 6:38 am
    Make these in-bred hillbilly morons miserable for all of eternity. These vile, vicious, lumps of excrement need to be silenced once & for all. Miserable excuses for Human Beings. Maybe they should head over to Afganistan and hang with the Tali-Ban & and those fun loving Al Quiada whack jobs.
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  • mnpat wrote...
    I have no place in my heart or soul for the Westboro members
    December 18, 2012 7:35 am
    But Anonymous hacktivists are no better.....is this a story about which is worse or some kind of vindication if people that do bad things get a pass because they are going to do bad things against another bad group?
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  • FormerMarineSgt wrote...
    @mnpat...
    December 18, 2012 8:08 am
    Ah, but in this case, Anonymous is only excersizing thier free speech rights too (other than when the hacked the twitter feed). So while I don't usually agree with thier methods, only the one act was arguably illegal - the rest of thier actions towards Westboro are nothing but excersizing thier free speech rights
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  • mnpat wrote...
    FMS....
    December 18, 2012 8:57 am
    I have no issue with anyone exercising their freedoms of free speech, I do take issue with their hacking regardless if they are hacking other's that we disagree with.
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  • maplefish wrote...
    Mnpat
    December 18, 2012 9:26 am
    Good point. I never thought bout it like that. But if there's a way to pester these people and cause them some pain, like they've caused countless innocent people & families with their HATE, well, I guess, with these people, I'm an eye for an eye kind of guy!
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  • JMGilday wrote...
    The First Amendment
    December 18, 2012 7:43 am
    is not there to protect speech we agree with
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  • XweAponX wrote...
    Absolutely
    December 31, 2012 8:32 pm
    Correct. Free Speech is not a guaranteed protection against retaliation, which is once again, free speech. You are free to spout crap? We are free to do something about you.
    { "Thumbs Up":"1","Thumbs Down":"-1" }
  • sportsguru wrote...
    These hacktivist
    December 18, 2012 8:08 am
    Are nothing more than a modern day terrorist group, if they don't agree with your right to your own way of life, however, disgusting it may be to a certain segment of our population. They set out to destroy you ILLEGALLY. When does it stop? I think they should go after these guys in the same way that you would go after Al queda. I can't stand Westboro and hope something bad happens to them, but I would never go after these people the way this cyber terrorist is going after them. They need to use there powers to go after our real enemies and not some fringe group that is looking for attention in the U.S.
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  • Chuck Gould wrote...
    The Hacktivists are not required to keep silent.
    December 18, 2012 8:15 am
    They too have the right to "freedom of speech".

    Let's say that wack job individual A uses freedom of speech to say "I hate gays, blacks, Jews, soldiers, and these kids who got killed in Newtown because they are all sinners who bring misfortune down on themselves."

    Individual B is not required to keep silent or to avoid trying to refute or impede the speech of Individual A. Individual B has an equal right of free speech, including the right to say, "I think you are a wack job, I find your speech offensive, and I will use any legal means to interfere with your ability to spread your gospel of hatred."

    (Funny how some of those in this thread who are citing the First amendment criticizing the hactivists for speaking out against the Westboro "church" are normally among those who most viciously and consistently speak out against other posters in this forum with whom they personally disagree).

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  • sportsguru wrote...
    Yeah Chuck
    December 18, 2012 8:48 am
    But I am not going to hack your account and post whatever I want on your account and/or hack your financial records in order to quiet you. I am surprised that you think this is acceptable.
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  • Chuck Gould wrote...
    AJ and Guru, I think the "Anonymous" group has an equal right to free speech
    December 18, 2012 10:13 am
    I do not think they need to remain silent to avoid interfering with the Westboro Baptist's right to "speak". Freedom to speak means that other have the freedom to express disapproval with your speech.

    Had either of you read my post before firing up your smoke machines, you would have noticed that the position I support is:

    "Individual B has an equal right of free speech, including the right to say, "I think you are a wack job, I find your speech offensive, and I will use any legal means to interfere with your ability to spread your gospel of hatred."

    Yes,I support the Anonymous group's use of any legal means to interfere with the ability of Westboro Baptist to spread a gospel of hatred. Proudly so. That's what the First amendment is *really* about. Only the government is constrained from discouraging speech.

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  • sambra27 wrote...
    I don't always agree with AJ
    December 18, 2012 10:35 am

    But he is correct here. Westboro are a detestable, vile group of people, but unfortunately nothing they do is illegal. I am also all for some group or organization stepping in to prevent Westboro from emotionally hurting people, but doing it illegally, and us patronizing that, unfortunately goes against what we all stand for as a lawful society.

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  • messiah101 wrote...
    sambra27
    December 18, 2012 1:20 pm
    The Westboro group is walking a thin line as far as Freedom of Speach goes they are provoking people at difficult times in these peoples lives and using the old saying that you can't falsely shout fire in a crowded theatre and call it Freedom of Speach why should a group (Westboro) falsely call the dead homosexuals or vile names of any type in order to provoke a reaction from those that lost a loved one?
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  • sambra27 wrote...
    messiah101
    December 18, 2012 2:11 pm

    I agree with you, too. I wasn't alluding as much to the freedom of speech issue as I was to the legality vs. illegality of each groups' actions.

    Honestly, I wish, at the very least, that the definition of freedom of speech could be narrowed further to include the type of vile stuff that Westboro seems so adamant to "preach". Like saying "I wish you would die" or "I wish death upon you" would be the same as "I'm going to kill you". Right now, for example, it is a protected right of Freedom of Speech for an adult to say that they would "very much like to have sex with children". People can villify them all they want but nobody can do anything about it, short of vigilantism, because they did nothing unlawful (take AJ bringing um NAMBLA).

    Would anyone be against state or federal government stepping in during special circumstances such as this, to prevent Westboro from being able to picket the funerals of dead children?
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  • flipper wrote...
    Interesting
    December 18, 2012 10:35 am
    I'm not a fan of Westboro at all, but I find it interesting we now say it's OK that the anarchists of Anonymous perfom cyber attacks? Do we remember that two wrongs don't make a right?
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  • Ted Jones wrote...
    Westboro
    December 18, 2012 11:04 am
    you poor basterds...I may not always agree with Anonymous but, at least they follow some code.
    { "Thumbs Up":"1","Thumbs Down":"-1" }
  • DonVigo wrote...
    I think it's fair to feel...
    December 18, 2012 11:32 am
    Vindication about supporting Anonymous' efforts here. While I don't support the illegal portions of what they're doing... It'd also be illegal to punch a member of Westboro in the mouth, but I'd also support anyone who chose to commit that crime. Some people earn the disdain they garner, and it's REALLY hard not to get some enjoyment out of their suffering... Regardless of the means casuing it.
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  • Lillyrose125 wrote...
    Ditto Maplefish
    December 18, 2012 12:29 pm
    Couldn't have said it better.
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  • roomtemp wrote...
    "Anonymous also posted a video with veiled threats against Westboro."
    December 18, 2012 1:00 pm
    That's not a veiled threat, that's their motto. It's at the end of all their videos.

    I don't always agree with what Anon does, but some of it I do. They don't promote violence and they occasionally provide a little much needed transparency. I do have my concerns that they will be used as an excuse to shut down free speech on the internet. "Cyber terrorists" will be one of the new bogeymen that government will use to take more of your rights away. Hear me now, believe me later.

    As far as Westboro is concerned, I'm filing this one under 'reaping what you sow'. :-P

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