The insensitive, extremist Westboro Baptist Church has threatened to picket the funerals of the two victims of the Lafayette movie theater shooting. In response, Governor Jindal has ordered police to “take swift and immediate action” against them.
Louisiana Gov. Bobby Jindal is issuing a warning to the Westboro Baptist Church, which has threatened to picket the funerals of two victims from the Lafayette, La., movie theater shooting this week.
Jindal on Saturday told state police to “take swift and immediate action” against anyone who tries to disrupt the funerals of 21-year-old Mayci Breaux or 33-year-old Jillian Johnson.
“In times of grief and mourning, the rule of law is especially important to protect the rights of citizens when they are most vulnerable, and any effort to disrupt or interfere with a family’s ability to grieve following the loss of a loved one is a reprehensible act,” Jindal wrote in an executive order announced late Saturday morning.
“Any action by any individual or group to in any way disrupt, interfere, or cause additional suffering during this time of mourning is unconscionable and morally reprehensible,” Jindal wrote.
Jindal’s order comes one day after the Westboro Baptist Church, widely described as an anti-gay extremist group, announced that it would picket the funerals.
In 2011, the Supreme Court ruled that Westboro has the right to protest at military funerals, and Westboro responded to Jindal’s move on Twitter by decrying it as an attempt to infringe on the distasteful group’s First Amendment rights:
Governor Jindal’s executive order is based in existing law, however, so their howls of outrage are misguided. The Times-Picayune explains:
Gov. Bobby Jindal has issued an executive order aimed at keeping the Westboro Baptist Church protestors away from the funerals of the Lafayette shooting victims.Jindal said the Louisiana State Police plan to strictly enforce existing state law that prevents protesters from interfering with funerals, burials, wakes and other memorials. The protestors must stay 300 to 500 feet away from funeral proceedings for two hours prior to the event until two hours after it concludes. They are also not allowed to block or interfere a funeral route.
CLICK HERE FOR FULL VERSION OF THIS STORY