After quasi-religious group the Westboro Baptist Church announced plans to protest a Sunday night vigil for the 26 victims of the Sandy Hook Elementary School shooting, the hacker-activists in Anonymous vowed to take them down, according to CNET.
Controversial for protesting the funerals of fallen U.S. service members, and AIDS victims, the Kansas-based Westboro Baptist Church didn't wait long to insert itself into the national focus on the second-deadliest school shooting ever.
The group's spokesperson, Shirley Phelps-Roper, who is related to the group's founder, Fred Phelps, like most members of the organization, the Huffington Post noted, took to Twitter Saturday to announce the church's plans "to sing praise to God for the glory of his work in executing his judgment." The group didn't give a specific time, but a tweet from Margie Phelps implied it would be during the vigil attended by President Barack Obama Sunday evening at Newtown High School.
The Westboro Church is infamous for its stance that America is currently being punished for its acceptance of gay and lesbian individuals. Recently the Phelps family has sent out tweets concerning the Connecticut school shooting stating, "God sent the shooter."
Shortly after the self-proclaimed "hacktivists" in Anonymous vowed retaliation against the hateful group. Posting a video to Vimeo under the name KY Anonymous, Anonymous declared: "We will not allow you to corrupt the minds of America with your seeds of hatred. We will not allow you to inspire aggression to the social factions, which you deem inferior. We will render you obsolete. We will destroy you. We are coming."
Sunday night, Anonymous posted the names, street addresses, phone numbers and email addresses of Westboro church members to Pastebin, CNET reported.
Anonymous announced its actions through the loose Internet collective's main mouthpiece on Twitter, @YourAnonNews.
"Westboro Baptist Church Dox. Have fun, and remember, these are terrible people who picket funerals" the account Tweeted.
Spokesperson Phelps-Roper's Twitter account was also hacked by Anonymous, according to the Huffington Post, and the Westboro Baptist Church's website was taken down.
Anonymous is also asking followers via its Twitter account to sign a petition that would revoke the Westboro Baptist Church's tax exempt status. Because it's classified as a religious entity, the group doesn't legally have to pay taxes.
"The Westboro Baptist Church is better-known for homophobic displays, suing people and picketing funerals than for providing Christian care to a community. Due to their harassment and politicking, their IRS tax-exempt status should be immediately investigated," a post on the White House's "We the People" online petition forum explains.
A separate petition on the website is seeking to classify the Westboro Baptist Church as a hate group, according to the Huffington Post.
The Westboro Baptist Church is "arguably the most obnoxious and rabid hate group in America," according to the Southern Poverty Law Center. The Anti-Defamation League is less explicit, but similarly agrees. The church is "a small virulently homophobic, anti-Semitic hate group," it says.
The Westboro Baptist Church's right to picket funerals was upheld by the Supreme Court in 2011, as the court claimed it was supported under the First Amendment.
Earlier this year, President Obama signed legislation requiring protests be at least 300 feet from military funerals.
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