Louisiana Gov. Bobby Jindal said members of the Westboro Baptist Church will be arrested if they follow through on plans to picket the funerals for victims of the Lafayette movie theater shooting.
“If they come here to Louisiana, if they try to disrupt this funeral, we’re going to lock them up,” the Republican presidential candidate said Sunday on CBS. “We’re going to arrest them. They shouldn’t try that in Louisiana. We won’t abide by that here. Let these families grieve.”
The extremist Westboro church is notorious for hateful rhetoric and picketing the funerals of fallen U.S. soldiers. In an attempt to block the church from protesting the funerals, which begin Monday, Mr. Jindal issued an executive order that protects against disturbing the peace at funeral services.
According to Mr. Jindal’s office, the order will “ensure the law is followed and that families and loved ones have the ability to grieve for the lives lost in this senseless tragedy,” The Daily Advertiser reported.
Lafayette residents have started a Facebook group to create a human wall protecting the funeral processions of Jillian Johnson, 33, and Mayci Breaux, 21. More than 5,400 people had joined the group as of Saturday morning.
John Russell Houser, 59, of Alabama, shot 11 people Thursday night at the Grand 16 Theatre during a showing of Amy Schumer’s “Trainwreck,” killing Breaux and Johnson, before killing himself.
In 2013, Houser tweeted: “The Westboro Baptist Church may be the last real church in America [members not brainwashed].”
• Jessica Chasmar can be reached at jchasmar@washingtontimes.com.
Please read our comment policy before commenting.