Westboro Goes To New Jersey

The hate-freaks at Westboro Baptist decided to come to New Jersey, and while Tony Soprano and his crew were unavailable, the Rutgers Hillel managed to get 200 counter protesters to come out against the six Westboro Baptist haters who showed up on campus.

Six members of Kansas hate group Westboro Baptist Church protested this morning at Rutgers Hillel, a campus Jewish group, but were met by roughly 200 Rutgers students and others who rallied for tolerance.

Word of the planned visit by the Kansas group spread quickly over the past two weeks through Facebook, Hillel organizers said.

As of today, more than 14,000 people became Facebook “friends” of a page created for the rally, titled “Rutgers United Against Hate,” said Andrew Getraer, executive director of Rutgers Hillel.

The Topeka-based hate group is touring New Jersey this week, with stops Tuesday in West Orange, Elizabeth and Hoboken, and today demonstrations in New Brunswick, Paramus, Secaucus and Jersey City.

This morning, the group started protests at 7:30 a.m. in front of New Brunswick High School on Livingston Avenue, then moved to a corner on College Avenue, across from Hillel Rutgers, at about 8 a.m. They left by 8:40 a.m.

The Westboro haters regularly protest against US servicemembers killed in Iraq or Afghanistan, hate gays and lesbians, and routinely protest outside synagogues and Jewish centers.