In response to Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s speech to Congress on Wednesday, noisy anti-Israel figures protest Protests broke out in Washington, D.C., with protesters destroying a statue exterior Washington’s Union Station and chanting slogans corresponding to “Hamas is coming” and “Lengthy reside the resistance.” Protesters as soon as replaced Put the American flag subsequent to the Palestinian flag after which burn the American flag.
In response to flag burning, former President Trump tells fox and associates On Wednesday, he argued that those that burn or harm the American flag ought to face jail time. Trump additionally dismissed those that identified that flag desecration is protected speech underneath the First Modification.
“If you happen to do something to desecrate the American flag, you have to be sentenced to at least one yr in jail.” explain trump card. “Now, individuals are going to say, ‘Oh, that is unconstitutional.'” Those that say which might be silly folks.
“We have now to work in Congress to get a yr in jail,” Trump continued. “When they’re allowed to stomp on the flag, put lighter fluid on it and light-weight it on hearth, if you find yourself allowed to try this – you get a yr in jail and also you by no means see it once more.”
This is not the primary time Trump has referred to as for jailing individuals who burn the flag.
“We must always have laws that claims if you happen to burn the American flag, you’ll be imprisoned for a yr,” Trump mentioned in a 2020 speech. assembly In Tulsa, Oklahoma. “We must always do that. We speak about freedom of speech… however that is blasphemy,” he added.
Nevertheless, Trump is useless improper. In 1989, the Supreme Court docket dominated Texas v. Johnson Burning flags is protected speech. Whilst you can nonetheless face property damage-related costs for burning another person’s flag (as occurred Wednesday), burning a flag you personal is protected political expression.
Chief Justice William Brennan wrote within the Court docket’s majority opinion: “If there’s a elementary precept of the First Modification, it’s that the federal government might not impose an objection just because society finds an concept inherently objectionable or offensive. “We don’t acknowledge exceptions to this precept even with regards to our flag. “
Whereas anti-Israel protesters in Washington, D.C., should face vandalism costs for his or her actions on Wednesday, each American has the proper to burn their very own American flag — irrespective of how offensive some presidential candidates think about their actions.
