Petition To Recognize Westboro Baptist Church As Hate Group Is White House’s Most Popular Ever
The Westboro Baptist Church is likely one of the most hated groups of people in America in recent years, but everything that they do, according to U.S. law is completely legal. Many steps have been made to stop the group from protesting at the funerals of soldiers, children, and even famous people. And now, there's a very popular petition in place that could silence them for good.
Users of the White House's website We The People have inundated the site with requests to officially designate the Westboro Baptist Church as a hate group. In fact, it's the most popular petition on the site ever.
The petition, submitted December 14 (the day of the shooting at Sandy Hook Elementary School in Newtown, CT), has been signed by over 250,000 people to date.
Official action has been taken against the anti-gay displays at funerals (which is possibly what the group is most known for), but not against the church itself. In August, President Obama signed the Honoring America's Veterans Act into law, which states that all protests must be held at least 300 feet from a military funeral, and are prohibited two hours before or after funeral services.