PROTESTERS IN FRONT OF THE FANIME BUILDING

[PinkHairSasuke]

Those guys are crazy! For two years in a row they've called me gay. This year me, Fanime Jesus, Moses, and some other guys stood with the protestors. It was epic!

[HunterZero]

It's interesting, this group started coming to FanimeCon the same year they first showed up at CSU Chico. For those of you who don't know, CSU Chico used to be a major party school back in the 80's but now is pretty boring. It's also out in the middle of nowhere so you have to intentionally GO there in order to find it.

Anyways, one day while I was eating lunch, waiting to go to class to, I saw these protesters standing in the Free Speech area. I sat down by a tree nearby the one police officer who was keeping an eye on the situation from a afar and chatted with him. Periodically students would come up to him and ask (or demand) if he was going to remove them. I just kept laughing as the officer very calmly explained that they are exercising their right of free speech and that, unless they were actually threatening people, they were free to speak their minds. Telling someone that they're going to hell isn't a threat. Telling someone they will burn in a lake of fire for eternity if they don't stop sinning and embrace Jesus Christ in their hearts isn't a threat.

Long and short of it: These people are professionals. If you look closely, they have people off on the sides who aren't as flashy and aren't yelling things watching everything with cameras and video recorders. They make most of their money from lawsuits against people who assault them or cities that try to stop them. Even cities that have laws on the books are their target as many of those laws aren't technically legal and will result in a lawsuit. This is their job and they are good at it.

Like Tony said: If you engage with them, you're letting them win. You're not going to change their mind and you're not going to prove your point. The only way to win is to not play. Indeed, NOT playing is victory. Starving them of money that they earn from these things is the only way to stop them, but that is a long term strategy.

Personally, I find their statements meaningless because I don't subscribe to their belief structure. Indeed, most people DON'T have their belief structure as they don't represent anything even remotely related to Christianity at large, so I fail to see why this upsets so many people. They don't represent your faith, so why even acknowledge them? Why let their words affect you in any way, shape or form?

[RikuCosplayer]

It's interesting, this group started coming to FanimeCon the same year they first showed up at CSU Chico. For those of you who don't know, CSU Chico used to be a major party school back in the 80's but now is pretty boring. It's also out in the middle of nowhere so you have to intentionally GO there in order to find it.

Anyways, one day while I was eating lunch, waiting to go to class to, I saw these protesters standing in the Free Speech area. I sat down by a tree nearby the one police officer who was keeping an eye on the situation from a afar and chatted with him. Periodically students would come up to him and ask (or demand) if he was going to remove them. I just kept laughing as the officer very calmly explained that they are exercising their right of free speech and that, unless they were actually threatening people, they were free to speak their minds. Telling someone that they're going to hell isn't a threat. Telling someone they will burn in a lake of fire for eternity if they don't stop sinning and embrace Jesus Christ in their hearts isn't a threat.

Long and short of it: These people are professionals. If you look closely, they have people off on the sides who aren't as flashy and aren't yelling things watching everything with cameras and video recorders. They make most of their money from lawsuits against people who assault them or cities that try to stop them. Even cities that have laws on the books are their target as many of those laws aren't technically legal and will result in a lawsuit. This is their job and they are good at it.

Like Tony said: If you engage with them, you're letting them win. You're not going to change their mind and you're not going to prove your point. The only way to win is to not play. Indeed, NOT playing is victory. Starving them of money that they earn from these things is the only way to stop them, but that is a long term strategy.

Personally, I find their statements meaningless because I don't subscribe to their belief structure. Indeed, most people DON'T have their belief structure as they don't represent anything even remotely related to Christianity at large, so I fail to see why this upsets so many people. They don't represent your faith, so why even acknowledge them? Why let their words affect you in any way, shape or form?

Simple answer to that, its because they insult
Fanime and Anime cosplayers all over the world just
to get attention! Iam Christian myself, but Iam not
protesting with protesters agianst something I enjoy
doing...cosplaying is my life, and Iam not going to let
those fake Christains make me stop cosplaying!
Cosplaying is something I do every-now-and-then,
so they will just have to deal with our cosplaying
disires. :/

[danielvutran]

ya srzly lolzs

[Glitch]

It would be cool if fanime could hold some event right in front of the protestors.(including louder speakers) What better way to draw attention away from them.

[Melly]

lolol my friend Max was talking to the single protester guy on Friday and Max was asking why does he come down here to harass us (fanime attendees) and he was saying something about how he liked getting harassed back.. hahaha. fruit loop~ xD

[Shinsengumi]

This year it didn't go as crazy like last year or the year before. Thanks for the rovers for that. I was surprised one of them showed up on the first day of Fanime. I'll just continue to ignore them. Having them around every year is getting old.

[Touya no Miko]

How weird, I didn't notice them at all during the whole con. Or else that guy on the bullhorn from Monday was one of them, I'm not sure.

I can't help but notice that their group has gotten smaller this year. You think some of them are giving up?

[Cosplay Circus]

How weird, I didn't notice them at all during the whole con. Or else that guy on the bullhorn from Monday was one of them, I'm not sure.

I can't help but notice that their group has gotten smaller this year. You think some of them are giving up?

Yea the guy on Monday was one of them, Saturday he brought 2 other people or so.

This was my first year so I hadn't seen it from other years but they don't seem to me like the type to give up very easily.

[Aelia]

As was said many times, they're like trolls: The best way to deal with them is to ignore them.

They are obnoxious, annoying, and very good at following the letter of the law (if not the spirit). All they want is for someone to rise to their bait and attack them in some way which allows them to sue, or call the cops, or anything else.

To those of you congoers who worked with our Rovers to keep the traffic flow moving, and avoided giving them more fuel, thank you.

[otaku_duckie]

Is it true that one of the protesters got punch for calling one of the girl cosplayers a whore?

[Tony]

I hadn't heard that one.

[Cosplay Circus]

I didn't hear that either, only thing my friends and I had heard them call us were freaks of nature.

[Admiral Donuts]

As was said many times, they're like trolls: The best way to deal with them is to ignore them.

I say if they're going to protest our con, we cosplay at their church!

[otaku_duckie]

What the heck?! that's not exactly nice for them to call us names like that! btw isn't that megaphone they had a noise violation? those guys are so rude, I'm sure god wouldn't be so drastic to kill us/send us to hell for liking anime...god people like the protesters give Christians a bad name. lol thank god I'm catholic! XD

what made the protest start up anyways? I don't remember any protesters back when I came to Fanime in 04, though I have no clue if I would even remember I was only 13 back then and I can't even remember what I saw yesterday much less 6 years ago...

[Touya no Miko]

Okay, so interesting thing I heard from my college and Fanime buddy. One of my old college friends, who also happens to be a rover for Fanime, is now training officially for UFC as a fighter. He was given a match and guess who his opponent was?

One of the protesters.  And they recognized each other.

So while the protester guy is mouthing off on how his crew wants to get rid of Fanime, my other friend is just pumped to beat him (legally of course). I have yet to hear the outcome of the match.

Wearing flashy costumes makes you a sinner, yet beating the snot out of someone for sport is a-okay?

I don't remember learning this at my Church's Sunday school. Goes to show that some people don't really do things in the name of their faith, but for selfish personal reasons.

[Cosplay Circus]

Okay, so interesting thing I heard from my college and Fanime buddy. One of my old college friends, who also happens to be a rover for Fanime, is now training officially for UFC as a fighter. He was given a match and guess who his opponent was?

One of the protesters.  And they recognized each other.

So while the protester guy is mouthing off on how his crew wants to get rid of Fanime, my other friend is just pumped to beat him (legally of course). I have yet to hear the outcome of the match.

Wearing flashy costumes makes you a sinner, yet beating the snot out of someone for sport is a-okay?

I don't remember learning this at my Church's Sunday school. Goes to show that some people don't really do things in the name of their faith, but for selfish personal reasons.

LOL that just made my day

[otaku_duckie]

Okay, so interesting thing I heard from my college and Fanime buddy. One of my old college friends, who also happens to be a rover for Fanime, is now training officially for UFC as a fighter. He was given a match and guess who his opponent was?

One of the protesters.  And they recognized each other.

So while the protester guy is mouthing off on how his crew wants to get rid of Fanime, my other friend is just pumped to beat him (legally of course). I have yet to hear the outcome of the match.

Wearing flashy costumes makes you a sinner, yet beating the snot out of someone for sport is a-okay?

I don't remember learning this at my Church's Sunday school. Goes to show that some people don't really do things in the name of their faith, but for selfish personal reasons.

Holy crap! is there a video of this? I wanna see the protester get the crap beat out of him.

and how stupid is the protester, I highly doubt that San Jose will get rid of Fanime just cuz some small christian group protest. San Jose makes lots of money because of Fanime, with all the fanime goers buying food and other things. These protesters are just dumb sometimes, Fanime helps local business!!! (I know I love that little cake shop right next to the fairmont, expensive but oh so worth it!!!)

[Touya no Miko]

Just received news about the match.


Fanime won!!!!


Turns out the protester was all talk but had no skill. He was easily beaten in all three rounds. It was like an episode of "Bully Beatdown"! Sorry, no video since it wasn't allowed. I believe you can find the news on facebook.

[otaku_duckie]

That's awesome! (sad about no vid) but still hurray!!!! GO FANIME! Do u know the name of the dude that got his ass kicked? I wanna taught him next year!