Oh dear lord, Westboro have spawned in Adelaide...

[fireheart17]

http://www.adelaidenow.com.au/news/s...-1225912386529

http://www.adelaidenow.com.au/news/s...-1225961015476

http://www.adelaidenow.com.au/news/s...-1226112373349

All three articles pretty much tell the story up until now.

Basically, we have a group in Rundle Mall (shopping precinct) who basically are homophobic and xenophobic and are harassing people about going to hell for EVERYTHING. Even for following other religions. All while under the guise of preaching "religion."

Sure, preaching is fine and dandy and all, but not when you start harassing people constantly. They haven't started picketing funerals yet thankfully. I see people all the time in the same area just sitting at a table advertising the Bible, or occasionally speaking out loud to someone about the Bible, but they don't harass people.

[Gravekeeper]

Ugh, he even pulled out the "Some of my best friends are black" defence.

What are the hate speech laws in Australia? That shit would just get you straight up arrested in Canada. No free speech bullshit angle would save you. -.-

[fireheart17]

What are the hate speech laws in Australia? That shit would just get you straight up arrested in Canada. No free speech bullshit angle would save you. -.-

There's also no explicit right for free speech in Australia, it's more or less implied.

Hate speech laws vary by state. The council group tried to get them banned and failed...funnily enough, that's the first good thing they've done so far

Basically in South Australia (the only state with a shopping precinct that has balls ) the law only covers race, not sexuality. Federally, ditto.

I can't remember what loophole they found, but I think it was something to do with them being classed as a branch of Christianity and as such, they were protected under religious laws or something like that.

[Mishi]

Wait... he's PROUD of dropping out of highschool in Year 9? He really thinks that it's a good thing and that publicly bragging about his lack of education and how he 'beat the Man' will aid his efforts to convert people by proving God's existence?

[fireheart17]

A few tidbits I picked up from Facebook groups:

-The reason why they are allowed to preach is that their lawyer argued in court that the ban put in place by the Adelaide City Council was unconstitutional and I'm guessing discriminatory.
-The rules surrounding preaching are that they are not allowed to harass others, they can only preach for a certain period of time and that they aren't meant to be using amplification devices. Of course, they do all three.
-A couple of counter-protest groups have spawned and they don't get violent with them. It's actually kind of funny-they don't necessarily get violent, but instead, the PREACHERS get violent and as a result, a couple of them have wound up in the police station nearby

[tropicsgoddess]

Damn....I didn't think the Westboro had "relatives" overseas! I would love to see some articles, pics or even videos (if possible) of the counter-protesters!

[fireheart17]

I believe this may be the group in question but I'm not 100% sure.

http://www.churchadelaide.com/

[protege]

Here, if some group pulled that shit...they'd be asked to leave the area. If they refused, they'd get busted for disturbing the peace, and trespassing. Hopefully, these idiots will get what's coming to them.

[fireheart17]

Hopefully, these idiots will get what's coming to them.

Well as far as I'm aware, in addition to several groups spawning on Facebook (some of which are going to the extreme), the shop owners and such are NOT happy.

In addition, several Christians have come forward (from various denominations) denouncing the group as NOT being Christian.

One of the relatives of a member of the group (I refuse to call them a church since they proclaim that EVERY other branch of Christianity are preaching "false gospels") is acting as an armchair lawyer, claiming that if they moved and a protest group followed, the protest group would be committing an offence. I seriously doubt that's true, although the preachers moving would be what the group wanted anyway .

[fireheart17]

So a few more updates since I last posted:

-The shop owners in that precinct are getting unhappy with BOTH groups now, so I suspect that even if the protesters don't get their way, the preachers won't either, if the shops can argue their case in court.
-The preachers are still getting quite violent, although a few renegade idiots from the protesters have started to do the same. One incident that popped up involved one of the preachers stealing someone's drumsticks. People have been saying that preachers have pushed/shoved them. Thank dog for cameraphones.
-They've also started harassing people in OTHER places within the city centre. Maybe a trial run?

And the incident which prompted this post:

They took on a Pentecostal Church.

The church in question is part of a denomination known as "Assemblies of God", which is Pentecostal in origin. Said church is also VERY well-known.

[Panacea]

Wait... he's PROUD of dropping out of highschool in Year 9? He really thinks that it's a good thing and that publicly bragging about his lack of education and how he 'beat the Man' will aid his efforts to convert people by proving God's existence?

"You beat the Man by dropping out of high school in 9th grade? Get the hell away from me; I don't need to hear about God from an uneducated lazy fool who can't get out of his own way or earn an honest living in life other than by preaching the Gospel. Give me someone who can actually spell Gospel!"

[fireheart17]

Yet another update:

http://www.adelaidenow.com.au/fear-s...-1226171194594

This one's concerning the by-laws. From what I've heard, the police HAVE been getting involved in the protests and arresting the preachers (and a couple of protesters) whenever violence has occurred.

One of the rules about preaching within the Adelaide City Council limits is that you can't use amplification. Apparaently it's a $1000 fine and they've copped a few of them. One of the other actual by-laws is that the preachers can't preach IN Rundle Mall. Of course, they broke this rule, then cried poor in court.

Along the grapevine however, apparaently they are now preaching at bus stops, on the Adelaide Uni campus and along the main street nearest Rundle Mall and have been seen less and less around Rundle Mall. Methinks that they're lying low because they dared to take on the Paradise Community Church. (Pentecostal church)

[Nyoibo]

Not sure how they can get away with it on the uni campus

[fireheart17]

Not sure how they can get away with it on the uni campus

It's borderline. They're right outside the uni, but on the territory that's owned by the council, not by the uni.

[fireheart17]

Bumping for yet another update:

http://www.adelaidenow.com.au/news/s...-1226185143375

Now they're reaching volumes of up to 102-103dB. For a general idea of what that's like from where they preach, they will normally preach either at each end of the mall or in between. At either end, their volume would result in them being heard about halfway down the other streets directly straight ahead from Rundle Mall. If they preached in between, it would probably get down far enough to maybe one or two pubs on one side and the Gloria Jeans on the other.

Also it appears that several retailers are really disliking the preachers. I get the feeling that in addition to the protest groups, there wil be one popping up called "Retailers Against Stupid Preachers".