Anonymous Created Westboro Baptist Church Facebook Group, Then 'Hacked' It
An online hacker organization, known for its rivalry with Westboro Baptist Church, opted to "hack" the very Facebook page it created as a parody of the church.
Anonymous, considered by many to be a "hacktivist" organization, had created a Westboro Baptist Church Facebook page for parody purposes last December.
On Wednesday, many online media outlets reported WBC's Facebook page was hacked, unaware that the page itself was created by Anonymous.
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The group posted photos and statements contrary to the stated views of Westboro, including at least one photo that would be shared on the social networking site by George Takei of Star Trek fame.
Awareness of the parody Facebook group and its "hacking" came not long after Anonymous warned Westboro on Twitter against WBC's stated plans to protest the funerals of those killed at the Boston Marathon bombings.
"If #WBC protests the Boston funerals, they will have to expect us," posted Anonymous, whose Tweet received over 3,100 retweets and over 1,700 favorites in less than 48 hours.
Unaffiliated with any Baptist denomination, Westboro announced Monday their plan to demonstrate at the funerals, claiming the bombings were divine punishment for Massachusetts being the first state in the United States to legalize same-sex marriage.
In their efforts against Westboro, Anonymous also set up two parody Westboro Twitter accounts and a YouTube account. All the parody accounts on social media feature a photo of the cast of Star Trek: The Next Generation with the caption "Jesus Loves Everybody. Expect Us."
Last December Anonymous hacked the Westboro Baptist Church website, stealing personal information of WBC members via their server in response to the notorious group's call to protest the funerals of those killed in the Newtown, Conn., shooting.
In January, when Westboro announced that they would protest the funeral of Reddit co-founder Aaron Swartz, Anonymous said that they would protect the service from WBC interference.
While Anonymous warns WBC of action against them should they demonstrate at the Boston funerals, others have looked toward officially classifying Westboro as a "hate group" and getting their tax-exempt status removed.
On the White House's petitions website, one was posted Monday demanding Westboro be banned from Boston and the funerals of those killed. It has garnered over 19,000 signatures in three days.
"The Westboro Baptist church is planning on coming to Boston to picket the funerals of the two people killed during the Boston Marathon bombing on April 15th, 2013. It's sickening to know that the WBC will be picketing the funerals of two innocent people, one of which is only an 8 year old child," reads the petition's description.
"We can't let them get into Boston and do this. This is a petition to stop the WBC from getting into Boston, or worse, picketing the funerals of two innocent people. There is no excuse for this kind of behavior."
