Hundreds attend counter protest at Elizabeth Edwards's funeral

By Melissa Bell



(Tommy Augustine)

Update, Dec. 13, 7:45 a.m.

Tommy Augustine, a N.C. resident, wrote an update about the day of the funeral:

It was chilly and rainy, but that didn't stop a lot of people from coming out. Police had tight security of the events, and they placed Westboro Baptist Church on on side of the street while having the counter protest on the other side of the street. I can't say it was a silent counter-protest because bikers, vets, and other people drove through the street (at times, more than once) that splits the opposing sides revving their engines, blare'n music, and laying on their horns. This surely drew loud cheers from the counter-protesting side.

I would say it was a success today. The fact that so many North Carolinians came out today did indeed isolate [Westboro Baptist Church's] voice from that of the community and state. I'm certainly proud of that.

To read more about the protest, check out Reliable Source.



(Cheryl Senter/AP)

Update, 5:15 p.m.

One of the Facebook pages organizing the counter protest went down for a few hours Friday afternoon. The Raleigh News & Observer reports that it apparently crashed after 20,000 people shared the invitation on Facebook. Facebook said it was looking into the matter.

Update, Dec.10, 12:30 a.m.

After news spread Thursday of the Westboro church's planned protest of Elizabeth Edwards's funeral, counterprotests have sprung up through social media sites to block the Westboro members from view.

On Facebook, a group, "Protect Elizabeth Edwards' funeral from Westboro clan," has 861 people promising to attend the service, arriving in the morning and staying until after the funeral. "Let's create a human buffer between Elizabeth Edwards and the Westboro church," the invite reads.

Lucas Westmaas was looking for work online when he heard the news. He had a free weekend, so he jumped on a bus in Philadelphia, transferred in New York and headed to his friend's house in Durham, N.C. "It was a whim," Westmaas says, "but it struck a nerve with me." He assumed by the time he arrived someone would have organized a counter-action -- he says he does not like the term 'counterprotest' as he's not trying to protest anything, but rather give the family a measure of comfort on a difficult day.

"We want to keep it peaceful," Tammy Tiffany says. The Cary, N.C., housewife will be going to the counterprotest -- "cold or not, I'm going" -- because she is disturbed by the Westboro church's actions. "We'll just stand there and form a human barrier. People who are dealing with this kind of tragedy shouldn't have to deal with this kind of nonsense."

Dec. 9, 9:30 a.m.

According to the Westboro Baptist Church's Web site, the Kansas church known for its anti-homosexual protests will protest Elizabeth Edwards's funeral in Raleigh, N.C., near the Edenton Street United Methodist Church on Saturday.

Elizabeth Edwards died Tuesday from cancer. Westboro's Web site does not say why it has singled out Edwards's funeral, but it was likely protesting Edwards' stance on gay marriage: she once said she was completely comfortable with it.

The Edenton Street United Methodist Church said it is aware of the planned protest, and senior staff officials are meeting to decide what to do about the issues surrounding it.

More on this story:

The Westboro Church meets its match in counter-protest.

Supreme Court considers Westboro Baptist Church's anti-gay protests at military funerals.