Westboro Baptist Church Philly Protest Thwarted by Brass Band and 'Great Wall of Love'

It took a "Great Wall of Love" accompanied by a brass band Tuesday to drown out the hate spewed by the anti-LGBT Westboro Baptist Church in Philadelphia.

As scheduled, four members of the Westboro Baptist Church (WBC) were on hand to protest outside of the Mazzoni Center on 8th and Locust Street in Center City. The Mazzoni Center provides healthcare services to Philadelphia's LGBT community.

Much to their chagrin, the small group of WBC representatives singing their signature song parodies and holding the requisite "God Hates Fags" signs were met by hundreds of counter protesters. The counter protesters, who formed what they called a "Great Wall of Love" were on hand to protect transgender patients who were entering and leaving the Mazzoni Center.

A brass band accompanied the LGBT supporter who sang The Beatle's "Hey Jude" to drown out the hate.

According to local ABC 7, the gay rights protesters held a variety of signs mocking the WBC's placards, including one that read "God Hates Bad Signs."

Philly.com notes that the counter protest did not go without incident. At one point, 15 to 20 police officers formed a bicycle barricade around the anti-gay group when a few LGBT supporters started yelling obscenities.

According to their website, WBC representatives plan to picket the Wells Fargo Center in Philadelphia Wednesday as part of their ongoing protest of the Democratic National Convention.