A pizzeria in the US state of Indiana has been forced to close its doors amid a backlash by LGBT activists after it said it could not cater for same-sex weddings on the grounds of their religious beliefs.

Coming as Indiana became the 19th state to adopt a Religious Freedom Restoration Act – with additional protections for faith-owned businesses – the story of Memories Pizza became a lead story for numerous networks, resulting in an onslaught of vitriol from gay activists. In addition to death threats against staff, the pizzeria’s website was hacked, while many negative reviews of the pizza’s products began to appear online.

Supporters of the stance taken by Memories responded to an online fundraiser set up in the wake of the row. Aiming to raise $25,000 for the owners, Kevin and Crystal O’Connor, that amount was realised in just one hour. The final total after four days of appeals was $842,592.

In spite of this good will, Memories has now closed for business, and the O’Connors have reportedly gone into hiding. In a message, Kevin O’Connor stated: “I don’t have a problem with gay people. I do not condone gay marriage, and that’s what I said. I don’t turn anybody away from the store, I don’t have a problem with gay people. I just don’t condone the marriage.”