Westboro Baptists Wouldn’t Be At Tucson Funerals Anyhow

Margie Phelps
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The Westboro Baptist Church won’t actually be protesting at any of the funerals of the victims of the attempted assassination of Rep. Gabrielle Giffords (D-AZ) last weekend, the Tucson Sentinel reports.

Tucson Police Department investigators confirmed that the extremist anti-gay group — notorious for protesting outside the funerals of members of the military killed in action — will not be coming to the state, spokeswoman Diana Lopez told the paper Thursday night.

Members of the church had plane tickets to travel to Tucson on Thursday, but Tucson police “worked closely with Tucson International Airport authorities today to confirm they did not arrive in Tucson via those previously purchased flights,” Lopez said, who said the tickets went unused.

A call to the Westboro Baptist Church wasn’t immediately returned.

Arizona state legislators and Gov. Jan Brewer (R) rushed to pass a law aimed squarely at Westboro’s protests earlier this week after Pastor Fred Phelps announced they’d be picketing.

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