Fundamentalist group banned from funeral of Greyhound bus beheading victim
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Posted on: August 8th, 2008 by Doug Smith
Members of a US-based fundamentalist organization, Westboro Baptist Church, have been held up at a USA Canada border crossing, after it had been revealed that they planned to picket the funeral of the man who was beheaded last week on a Greyhound Canada bus in the province of Manitoba. The Westboro Baptist Church believes that 22 year old Tim McLean’s brutal murder on the bus-which included his decapitation by the passenger sitting next to him, using a butcher’s knife-was God’s vengeance on Canada, which recently legalized same-sex marriage.
According to a CBC report, Canada’s Public Safety Minister, Stockwell Day, sent out a warning to border guards at USA/Canada crossing points to be on the “look out” for any travellers who have large quantities of tracts, posters or other material that could be used in a protest, with the highly intolerant and staunchly homophobic views, which have earned Westboro Baptist a great degree of infamy over the years. The church has also picketed the funerals of American soldiers killed in Iraq and members of the group have gone as far as to praise God for 9/11 and US military deaths.
One of the church’s main spokespersons, Shirley Phelps-Roper, told journalists that a number of picketers were turned away at a border crossing near Niagara Falls, but she did indicate that a few had successfully entered Canada the day before. Phelps, however, indicated that she might call off the funeral picket, as she now believes that it may be best to “get them the heck out of that county [ Canada],” where Phelps fears for their safety and possible persecution on the part of Canadian authorities. Pat Martin, a Member of Parliament (MP) for Winnipeg, suggested that Phelps and her group be “sent packing,” and that if they care for their own safety, it might be better if they decide not to show up for the funeral. There have been signs that local Winnipeg residents and other Canadians are planning a counter-protest at the funeral, in an attempt to protect McLean’s family from the Westboro Baptist picketers.
Thank you to CBC News for the direct quotes and initial report.
www.greyhound.ca
