Protest a hoax
An anti-gay picket outside the National Memorial Service in Melbourne for bushfire victims on Sunday turned out to be a hoax.
The planned picket by gay-hate group the Westboro Baptist Church (WBC) attracted the media and counter-protesters but no actual picketers.
The WBC claimed the fires were divine punishment for homosexuality, divorce and adultery in Australia.
In a press release dated February 16, WBC said Thank God for Fiery Death of Hundreds, claiming they would picket the memorial service.
The Kansas-based church also said they plan to protest the upcoming Mardi Gras parade in Sydney.
Several bushfire victims from the GLBT community, including Marysville bed and breakfast owners Patrick Jennings and Geoff Grady, and former ALSO Foundation dance party choreographer Kate Ansett, have been mourned by others in the community.
NAPWA media officer Paul Kidd and his partner Brent Allan are safe and well in eastern Victoria.
