Hacktivist group Anonymous published the personal information of members of the Westboro Baptist Church after the group announced on Saturday it would picket Sandy Hook Elementary School in Newtown, Connecticut where 26 children and adults were killed.
Anonymous published private email addresses, phone numbers and home addresses of various members, and teased the group about the hack on Twitter. Anonymous also posted a video condemning the group for “breeding hatred” and adding, “We will destroy you. We are coming.”
The Westboro group holds protests at military funerals, and targets various cultures and demographics, particularly gay people. The group blames them for tragedies such as shootings, saying it’s God’s punishment for their actions.
The Westboro Baptist Church has previously been warned by Anonymous, who in February 2011 told the group to “Cease and desist” its protest campaign in 2011, or face damage to its website. “The damage incurred will be irreversible, and neither your institution nor your congregation will ever be able to fully recover,” Anonymous wrote.
And the group may be forced to stop its picketing if a new petition gains enough momentum. A White House petition published on Friday that’s circulating the Internet aims to classify the Westboro Baptist Church as a hate group.
As of this writing, nearly 12,000 people have signed it. If the petition gains 25,000 signatures by January 13, 2013 it will be viewed by the Obama Administration and a response will be issued.