Westboro Protesters Have Tires Slashed During Weekend Face-Off

The infamous Westboro Baptist church from Topeka, KS, which protests military funerals with signs of "God hates America," faced a bit of irony over the weekend after clashing with about 1,000 counter protesters in McAlester, Oklahoma.

"Shortly after finishing their protest at the funeral of Army Sgt. Jason James McCluskey of McAlester, a half-dozen protesters from Westboro Baptist Church in Topeka, Kan., headed to their minivan," Tulsa World reports, "only to discover that its front and rear passenger-side tires had been slashed."

Counter protesters were enraged when one of the Westboro picketers was seen standing on an American flag:

But as if the slashing wasn't bad enough, to add insult to injury the group drove around unable to find anyone in town who would repair their vehicle, according to police.

"The minivan finally pulled over several blocks away in a shopping center parking lot, where AAA was called," Tulsa World writes. "A flatbed service truck arrived and loaded up the minivan. Assistant Police Chief Darrell Miller said the minivan was taken to Wal-Mart for repairs."

It was unclear if the repair shops in town weren't open, refused to service the vehicle, or the group could not find any in the immediate area.

Tulsa World also reports that nearly 1,000 counter protesters showed up to thwart Westboro's picketing. They reportedly chanted "USA, USA" while a few motorcyclists revved up their engines to muffle the protests.

Video of the event shows the crowd erupting in deafening cheers when the Westboro protesters pull away from the funeral in the disabled vehicle:

Counter protesters took a similar stand in Missouri last weekend. No tire slashings were reported then.

(H/T: HAP)