Catch me up here, why were they protesting?
Because they are dicks.
Because it makes people hate them, which might make them punch them in the face or destroy their car with a basebal bat. All stuff they would absolutely love to sue you for, most of them are lawyers.
Because they are crazy and actually believe their crazy doctrines.
Because Mr. Nimoy played a well loved character in a show where religion is a thing of the past created by an atheist who thought that religion was a crutch for a malfunctioning brain (his words).
Because they are attention whores.
Your pick.