I edited my post a bit, made it less aggressive, because obviously i misjudged you and i came on stronger than I normally would do. It's late, 5 o'clock in the morning, I'm tired because I didn't sleep last night, I have to get up at 8 so I'm going to try to keep my reply short.
I didn't had a lot of time to think of a reply, but let's try...The Westboro Baptist Church guys or something alike don't really exist here, (Christian) religion is far much less prominent in Europe, state and religion is fully separated, our president will never say something like in God we'll trust and it wouldn't be appreciated. We couldn't even imagine that someone would want to picket a funeral, it's just not in our culture, we're more reserved (i guess). I find it hard to believe, that in such an emotional moment like a funeral it's appreciated that there's a picket, even when there is a counter picket. The family is mourning, and they don't need 2 groups of people who are trying to over-scream each other. But that's not what this is about.
Do you really have free speech? Why don't you go to a black neighborhood and try it out, make a board with something really racist and see how long you last. It is maybe your right to do so but I wouldn't recommend it. I'm not at all insinuating that you're racist, but it's just for making a point. Obviously there are some racists in America, but they are all the same 'hidden' just like in Europe. Absolute free speech doesn't exists, even in America.
In Europe we do have a couple of laws against that, but you're making really more of them than what they really are, these laws are for protecting minorities, like gays, immigrants and some religions...Is that really a bad thing? Don't forget that on the subject of gay-marriage many countries in Europe where far ahead of the rest of the world, not always without a fight, same like in the USA, but still, clearly where doing something right. Most of those laws where put in place after the second world war, there obsolete now, but they aren't restricting us. Every country has there right-wing party, in France we have the Front National, now a reformed party, trying not to be racist, but if you would hear the stuff that the founder 'Jean-Marie Le Pen' has said on Television you would understand that we do have free speech...you don't see it because you are an outsider, The only one's you'll ever hear are the 'big guys' like François Hollande, or a prime minister...and just like in the USA you wouldn't hear President Obama or V-P Biden, or a Governor say something racist, anti-gay or anti-religion you won't here something like that from them. Really, don't worry about that, we do have plenty of free speech.
And just to finish, I'm pretty sure that the limitations of free speech are an European (EU) law, even if we wanted to, there's nothing France can do about it.