Westboro Baptist Church No-Shows At Krystle Campbell Funeral As Teamsters Form Human Shield
Medford, MA – Westboro Baptist Church protesters apparently did not show up at this morning’s funeral for Krystle Campbell. But the local Teamsters Union wasn’t taking any chances.
Hundreds of members of Local 25 of the Teamsters Union formed a human shield along the road approaching the church early this morning and stood silent guard to protect the funeral from any disruption by picketers. Union members mobilized via Facebook and Twitter. Some concerned citizens of Medford had contacted Local 25 over worries about Westboro protests during the Krystle Campbell funeral.
Said Sean O’Brien, the union president, “It’s the right thing to do. The family deserves a peaceful grieving process that’s free from any coward-led group.”
Krystle Campbell, 29, was one of three innocent bystanders murdered in the Boston Marathon bombing last Monday afternoon. About a thousand mourners showed up for her wake yesterday.
Campbell was a restaurant manager and Boston College graduate student who “was remembered as a sweet and caring young woman with a heart of gold and a thousand-watt smile.”
The Westboro Baptist Church claimed it was going to protest at the funerals of the victims of the Boston Marathon terrorist attack. In a tweet sent out on April 15, the group said: “BREAKING: Westboro Baptist Church to picket funerals of those dead by Boston Bombs! GOD SENT THE BOMBS IN FURY OVER F-G MARRIAGE! #PraiseGod.”
Even though it appears that the Westboro group did not assemble outside the Krystle Campbell funeral, it sent out this somewhat ambiguous tweet earlier today:
U c us in Boston? @bostonglobe @boston_police @teamsters look around u #GodCame2Bostondb.tt/HRhLdeTF 4 U! twitter.com/WBCSays/status…
— Westboro Baptist (@WBCSays) April 22, 2013
According to The Inquisitr’s Wolff Bachner, “Over the past few months, the WBC has repeatedly failed to show up for planned demonstrations. Ever since the church was completely owned by Anonymous after they announced their intentions to picket the funerals of the Newtown Shooting Victims, the Westboro Baptist Church has kept a rather low profile.”
The Westboro Baptist Church is based in Topeka, Kansas, and is headed by Fred Phelps.
[Image via Twitter]
