“Anonymous,” a well-known group of Internet hackers, or “hactivists,” reportedly set their keyboard sights on the virulently anti-gay group known as “God Hates Fags,” and the “church” responded in kind. But now the Internet is asking, was this a self-inflicted hoax by the very group it was supposedly targeting?
“Anonymous,” most-recently known for their hactivist support of Wikileaks, reportedly had sent an open letter to Westboro Baptist Church — who self-identify as “God Hates Fags” — demanding they end their anti-gay deeds, or “the damage incurred will be irreversible.”
“We, the collective super-consciousness known as ANONYMOUS – the Voice of Free Speech & the Advocate of the People – have long heard you issue your venomous statements of hatred, and we have witnessed your flagrant and absurd displays of inimitable bigotry and intolerant fanaticism. We have always regarded you and your ilk as an assembly of graceless sociopaths and maniacal chauvinists & religious zealots, however benign, who act out for the sake of attention & in the name of religion.
“Being such aggressive proponents for the Freedom of Speech & Freedom of Information as we are, we have hitherto allowed you to continue preaching your benighted gospel of hatred and your theatrical exhibitions of, not only your fascist views, but your utter lack of Christ-like attributes. You have condemned the men and women who serve, fight, and perish in the armed forces of your nation; you have prayed for and celebrated the deaths of young children, who are without fault; you have stood outside the United States National Holocaust Museum, condemning the men, women, and children who, despite their innocence, were annihilated by a tyrannical embodiment of fascism and unsubstantiated repugnance. Rather than allowing the deceased some degree of peace and respect, you instead choose to torment, harass, and assault those who grieve.
“Your demonstrations and your unrelenting cascade of disparaging slurs, unfounded judgments, and prejudicial innuendos, which apparently apply to every individual numbered amongst the race of Man – except for yourselves – has frequently crossed the line which separates Freedom of Speech from deliberately utilizing the same tactics and methods of intimidation and mental & emotional abuse that have been previously exploited and employed by tyrants and dictators, fascists and terrorist organizations throughout history.
“ANONYMOUS cannot abide this behavior any longer. The time for us to be idle spectators in your inhumane treatment of fellow Man has reached its apex, and we shall now be moved to action. Thus, we give you a warning: Cease & desist your protest campaign in the year 2011, return to your homes in Kansas, & close your public Web sites. Should you ignore this warning, you will meet with the vicious retaliatory arm of ANONYMOUS: We will target your public Websites, and the propaganda & detestable doctrine that you promote will be eradicated; the damage incurred will be irreversible, and neither your institution nor your congregation will ever be able to fully recover. It is in your best interest to comply now, while the option to do so is still being offered, because we will not relent until you cease the conduction & promotion of all your bigoted operations & doctrines. The warning has been given. What happens from here shall be determined by you.”
Westboro responded with an open letter of their own. In a George W. Bush-style advance, Westboro said, “Bring It.”
Anonymous is believed to be behind the take-down of Internet sites for PayPal, Amazon, MasterCard, and Visa that highlighted those companies opposition and termination of business arrangements with WikiLeaks.
The Westboro Baptist Church has been known for its threats to protest funerals, such as those of Elizabeth Edwards, the victims of the recent Tucson, Arizona shooting, soldiers, and the victims of the Virginia Tech shooting.
But tech sites are reporting that Anonymous is calling this a hoax, and claiming the Westboro Baptist Church group is actually behind the threats, and faked the original open letter to gain publicity.
Via Mashable:
“Now the “Anonymous†website is accusing the Westboro Baptist Church of posting that open letter threatening the church as a publicity stunt. In a post dated 2/18, (alleged) members of Anonymous posted, “We know that YOU in fact posted the Open Letter supposedly from Anonymous.†And in another post from today (2/20/11), the Anonymous group said “we’re a bit groggy and don’t remember sending it.†Because the Anonymous site “uses an open-posting concept,†it’s hard to tell who’s posting what. The Anonymous group is, well, anonymous, but we’re still trying to find out what the real story is here.”
Hoax or not, there is an obvious conundrum here. Adrian Chen at Gawker writes, “If the point of an Anonymous attack on Westboro is to humiliate them, there is no point.”
He adds, “Nothing Anonymous could do to Westboro would be worse than what they do to themselves: Protesting soldiers’ funerals with enormous multicolored signs declaring “Thank God for Dead Soldiers,” or putting out parody YouTube videos like “Hey Evil Reprobate Jews” (sung to the tune of “Hey Jude.”)? And if an attack is meant to draw attention to their misdeeds, Who doesn’t already know Westboro is scum? They revel in their repugnance. In the parlance of the Internet, Westboro are Master Trolls. Haters only make them famous.”
Interestingly, the “God Hates Fags” site, which appears to have been given a make-over, is all-but down this morning.