GAINESVILLE, Ga. — The Westboro Baptist Church's decision to protest outside of several churches in a north Georgia town meant not all police were heading to Atlanta on Super Bowl Sunday.
The controversial group known for protesting at events like military funerals around the U.S. sent 20 members from Topeka, Kansas to demonstrate outside of six Gainesville, Georgia churches. According to the Gainesville Police Department, the group was met by 50 members of a local group known as Indivisible Lumpkin who staged a counter-demonstration.
Despite tense moments, police said that they were able to meet with organizers on both sides of the protest to keep the peace and "ensuring minimal disruption to the community."
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"I am very proud of our community, the citizens who were inconvenienced during their normal worship time, and especially our public safety officials," Gainesville City Manager Bryan Lackey said in a statement released on social media.
The Gainesville Times reports that the Westboro Baptist Church protestors held signs that read "Divorce, remarriage & same-sex 'marriage' are all sin" and "God hates workers of iniquity."
He also thanked Police Chief Jay Parrish and his staff for hours of preparation ahead of the competing events. The Hall County Sheriff's Office, Georgia State Patrol, Gainesville Fire Department and public works department were involved in securing the area as well.
